Diagnostic error for Serban Ionescu? Perplexing news...

(Image source) It has just emerged that the Lyme disease diagnosis given to the much-loved actor, Serban Ionescu, may have been erroneous. Mr Ionescu was diagnosed three weeks ago, after having presented with debilitating symptoms, perhaps following a tick bite last summer. Doctors at the Cantacuzino Institute are looking into the possibility of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) as another hypothesis.

I am surprised. Firstly, tests carried out at Fundeni (which tests, no one has said, but the two that specifically diagnose Lyme are ELISA and the Western Blot) were false positives. Or false negatives. Whatever. It is true that results of false positive can appear for Lyme - but ONLY in the first few days after having been bitten by the tick, simply because the antibodies have not had enough time to declare themselves. Since Mr Ionescu was bitten last summer and tested recently, the antibodies would have had more than enough time to be present in his system and thus visible in either test. One can therefore draw the conclusion that these tests were not carried out at Fundeni hospital - and they are the only two that can pinpoint Lyme accurately. 

Secondly, doctor academician Constantin Popa suspects ALS as the cause of Mr Ionescu's condition. This, too, is odd. What brings him to this conclusion? Test results have not yet been received (judging from the press) and, apart from that, ALS affects only 1-3:100 000 people - it is rare, in other words. It is also idiopathic in nature (ie. cause unknown) and therefore would have nothing to do with the tick bite.

Is this simply a case of doctors still having absolutely no idea of what beleaguers this poor man and are thus throwing big words into the arena to seem impressive and knowledgeable? It has been suggested that this is indeed the case.

One thing is clear to me - all the antibiotics and other drugs pumped into Mr Ionescu over the past few weeks will have masked the original bacterium, making any kind of diagnosis far more difficult to obtain. All in all, they have been about as useful as an elastoplast on a wooden leg...

Lyme disease is treated by and responds to antibiotics prescribed as early on after contagion as possible. It is curable. In this day and age, people no longer die of Lyme disease. ALS, however, is a degenerative disease and has no link whatsoever with the bacterium that causes Lyme. Palliative treatment is given to slow down the development of the disease, but, as yet, there is no cure - it is ultimately fatal, much like motor neurones disease, for example. The treatments are far from being the same and the outcomes are worlds apart. How on earth can two such different diagnoses be given for one man? It makes no sense at all. And the longer his condition is left to evolve, the more dangerous things become for Mr Ionescu, who has since discharged himself from hospital (who can blame him?) and is now being looked after by friends and family. If he has ALS, then not even the 20 000 euros put aside by the powers that be to pay for his treatment in a clinic abroad will be of use. Let us pray that this is a completely inaccurate diagnosis.

(Image source) The declaration that Mr Ionescu was suffering from Lyme caused wide-spread panic across Romania - and without being the least bit sure of the diagnosis, doctors continued to appear on television and in news articles, talking of the disease. 18 people showed up at hospitals in Bacau after having been bitten by what they thought to be ticks, terrified that they too were infected. In Brasov, 5 people were diagnosed with the disease. Victor Ponta's ministry of health stated two days ago that 34 people have been infected by Lyme out of a total 208 cases presented, which is an improvement on 2011 when 64 people out of 130 cases were infected.

I have been told that Lyme is new to Romania, hence the slowness to diagnose and the inefficiency of tests. However, Lyme disease has been monitored in Romania since 2010, when 312 cases were apparently diagnosed. Not that slow, then... The advisor to the minister of health at the time, Dr Geza Molnar, said 'that doesn't mean there weren't 380 or 500 cases'. Brilliant calculations....

It would be interesting to find out whether or not diagnoses for the above cases were obtained following the necessary test procedures. If not, then the statistics are likely to be misleading at best.

The press have reported a load of rubbish (spouted by a doctor for Cancan and Realitatea - okay, not reliable sources but unfortunately very widely read and believed) about how the disease was 'imported from the US', could be spread from person to person, and that the ticks lived on dogs. Piffle. But this was very beneficial for officials looking for excuses to continue with the extermination of the maidanezi. Handy publicity indeed. It makes you wonder what lies behind every single declaration and who is benefiting from them.

Mr Ionescu's condition has been shamefully hijacked for marketing techniques by certain companies and individuals to increase traffic to websites, expand sales, spread advertising and improve sales figures - a hallucinating lack of respect and sensitivity.

However, it has also brought about mass sympathy from all over the country for a much-loved actor leading to donations flooding in right, left and centre. Tomorrow at TNB, a theatre performance of 'Dineu cu proşti' will take place at 11h starring Caramitru, replacing Serban Ionescu. All funds will be donated as aid to Mr Ionescu. Also starring are Horaţiu Mălăele, Medeea Marinescu, Alexandru Bindea, Costina Ciuciulică, Dorin Andone/ Tomi Cristin and Alexandru Georgescu. Victor Ponta also saw to it that a substantial sum was released by the government (ministries of health and finance) to foot the bill for Mr Ionescu's medical costs. I suppose it was helpful also that the stand-in minister of culture is/was an actor. The concern and desire to help this man has been both touching and phenomenal.

Some are critical, though - while patients suffer from misdiagnoses and negligence in hospitals all over the country (and sometimes even die as a result), who helps them and their families? Nobody. Perhaps a valid point? It should be underlined though, perhaps, that even for public figures like Mr Ionescu, the treatment is no better than for anyone else. Perhaps he has a nicer room with a nurse who demands less spaga for changing the bedsheets daily, but en gros, the errors are no less likely and the fobbing off just as omnipresent.

THIS appeared on FB yesterday written by the journalist Lucian Mindruta and has since been published on various blogs and sites. It makes for valuable reading. At gone midnight last night, there were 409 'likes' and 191 shares. Good. I certainly hope it does the rounds - and that it hits home. In it, he says that Lyme has become the trend along with an occasion for profiteering. Doctors are profiting too, using the opportunity to get their mugs on television in order to discuss the erroneous diagnosis (which still hasn't been confirmed, note) - and anyone in the medical field can participate in the throng of wanna-bes - including vets. Go see the complete text for yourself (in Romanian).

In the meantime, with all this going on, Mr Ionescu must send an application to the ministry of health in order to receive the promised funding put aside for his treatment. He has not yet decided on the clinic of his choice, nor whether he will go abroad for medical care.

Money is spent, wasted, frittered away in Romania on things nobody wants - ridiculous roads, absurd statues, ugly renovations of parks, for example. Had, long before now, money been put into the health service and the decent training of medical staff as is the case elsewhere, perhaps Mr Ionescu would not be in the state he finds himself today. That and the fact that Romanians are just not taught to question the opinions of their doctors (or anyone else with 'authority' for that matter). It is rare to find people who check symptoms online (or elsewhere) to compare with and thus confirm/refute their doctor's diagnosis - and many medics, therefore, consider themselves above and beyond reproach. That desperately needs to change. In terms of the necrotic health 'service', one can defend it all one wants - pitiful budget, tough jobs, long hours, pathetic (and frankly, offensive) salaries, staffing shortages etc etc... The fact remains that it is diabolical and way below EU standards. The Romanian Times (March 2012) reported that "statistics show since 2008, 11,000 doctors have left the country to work in the West. On a general note, in Romania there is one doctor for 400 patients, double the patient/doctor ratio in the EU, while the income of a Romanian doctor is a tenth that of his or her EU counterparts."

But, valid excuses or not apart, doctors who put their patients' lives at risk from erroneous diagnostics and malpractice should be struck off and their licences revoked. This rarely happens in Romania, although errors, botched jobs, corruption and negligence hit the headlines at pretty regular intervals. See THIS blog, a dictionary of medical malpractice in Romania, for individual cases, those responsible and what the consequences were. On the other hand, those who do wonderful, dedicated jobs are rarely praised.

May Mr Ionescu find the treatment he so urgently needs as soon as possible in a clinic comprising of doctors who know what they are doing. I hope future news will be more optimistic - and that the medics presently treating him get their act together sharpish.

Concert ALTER STATUS: 27th May at True Club, Bucharest

To all of you in Bucharest wondering what to do this Sunday evening to round off your weekend, here's a recommendation!

Take yourself off to True Club, Splaiul Independentei, corner of Selari (str. Franceza 52, sector 3) at 20h30 for a night of live music with Alter Status in concert.

With Radu Popescu (lead singer and guitarist), Razvan Dumitrache (lead guitarist and vocals), George Petcu on bass and Alex Petcu on drums, you'll regret missing what promises to be a great night of well-known pop/rock covers and perhaps some originals too  - and all that in the ambiance of True Club in the centre of the Old Town. Yey!! I'd say you'd be well and truly spoilt!

Oh - and it's free entrance, too. Christmas come early!

The story of Constantine and Helena - two beloved saints

(Image source) On this day, 21st May, those of the Orthodox faith remember Saints Constantine and Helena, and those bearing their names celebrate their feast day.

I realised with a certain amount of shame this evening that I didn't know much about either of them, except that Constantine (Constantin) was an emperor of major historical importance (hence, Constantinople) and Helena (Elena/Ileana) was his mother. Time to rectify that.

Saint Helena was indeed the mother of St Constantine the Great, and probably born at Drepanum (her son later changed the name to Helenopolis) in Asia Minor to parents of humble origins. She either married or was the concubine of Constantius Chlorus, bearing their son Flavius Valerius Constantinus in 274. It is said that on their first meeting, they were wearing identical silver bracelets - Constantius saw her as his soulmate sent by God. However, he left her in 289 to further his political ambition, marrying a woman of noble rank, Theodora, Maximian's daughter and had six children with her. Helena and her son were dispatched to the court of Diocletian at Nicomedia, where Constantine grew to be a member of the inner circle. Helena never remarried and lived for a time in obscurity, though close to her only son, who had a deep regard and affection for her.

Constantius Chlorus was Roman emperor from 293-306 and declared "Augustus" in 305. He died suddenly in Eburacum (York, Britain), and as he was dying, recommended his son, Constantine, to the army as his successor. Consequently Constantine the younger was declared emperor by the legions at York.

He granted his mother the honour of the imperial title "Augusta."

(Image source) Constantine the Great is perhaps best known for being the first Christian Roman emperor; his reign was certainly a turning point for the Church. Scholars debate whether Constantine adopted his mother's Christianity in his youth, or whether he adopted it gradually over the course of his life. In any case, when he became the sole ruler of the Western Roman Empire, he issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which guaranteed religious tolerance for Christians, perhaps influenced by St Helena. In 323, when he became the sole ruler of the entire Roman Empire, he extended the provisions of the Edict of Milan to the Eastern half of the Empire. With three hundred years of persecution behind them, Christians could finally practice their faith in peace. The Edict of Milan included several clauses which stated that all confiscated churches would be returned as well as other provisions to previously persecuted Christians. Constantine also made new laws regarding the Jews, forbidding them to own Christian slaves or to circumcise them.

A great general of his time, Constantine defeated the emperors Maxentius and Licinius during civil wars. He also fought successfully against the Franks, Alamanni, Visigoths, and Sarmatians during his reign - even resettling parts of Dacia which had been abandoned during the previous century. Constantine built a new imperial residence in place of Byzantium, naming it New Rome. In Constantine's honour, people referred to it as Constantinople, which would later be the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire for over a thousand years. He is thus considered the founder of the Eastern Roman Empire. For more fascinating historical info on the politics of the time, the high jinx and the failed efforts to assassinate Constantine by his enemies, see HERE.

Just as a parenthesis, Constantine's rule marked a clear break of Christianity from Judaic traditions. From then on, the Roman Julian Calendar, a solar calendar, was given precedence over the lunar Hebrew Calendar among Christian churches of the Roman Empire.

This site describes how Constantine deeply revered the victory-bearing sign of the Cross, and wanted to find the 'True Cross' upon which Christ was crucified. He sent his mother, the Holy Empress Helena, to Palestine, granting her access to both money and power. Patriarch Macarius of Jerusalem and St Helena began their quest, finally unearthing the Cross in 326. An account of the discovery can be read HERE. The Orthodox Church commemorates the Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Holy Empress Helena on March 6th. St Helena gave the Cross to the Patriarch for safe-keeping, and took part of it back with her for the emperor along with the nails, in order to use their miraculous power to aid her son. She allegedly had one placed in Constantine's helmet, and another in the bridle of his horse.

(Image source - Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem)

On the site of the discovery, Constantine ordered the building of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and churches were also built on other sites chosen by Helena.

She was equally responsible for the construction of two particular churches, the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, and the Church on the Mount of Olives - sites of Christ's birth and ascension. Local legend attributes to Helena's orders the construction of a church in Egypt to identify the Burning Bush of Sinai. The chapel at St. Catherine's Monastery - often referred to as the Chapel of Saint Helen - dates back to AD330.

Because of her great services to the Church and her efforts in finding the Cross, the empress Helena is known as "the Equal of the Apostles."

A little legend (also from Wiki), just because I like it (and like her even more in consequence!): according to Byzantine tradition, Helena is responsible for the large population of cats in Cyprus. Local tradition holds that she imported hundreds of cats from either Egypt or Palestine in the 4th century AD to rid a monastery of snakes. The monastery is known today as "St. Nicholas of the Cats" (Greek Άγιος Νικόλαος των Γατών) and is located near Limassol. :)

She died in 330 with her son at her side and was buried in the Mausoleum of Helena, outside Rome. Her sarcophagus is on display in the Pio-Clementine Vatican Museum, although the connection is often questioned. Next to her is the sarcophagus of her grand-daughter Saint Constantina (Saint Constance).

'Helena's saintliness has never been questioned despite her active participation in the murderous affairs of Crispus and Fausta. Sometime between 15 May and 17 June 326, Constantine had his eldest son Crispus seized and put to death by "cold poison" at Pola (Croatia). In July, Constantine had his wife, the Empress Fausta, killed at the behest of his mother. Fausta was left to die in an overheated bath. Their names were wiped from the face of many inscriptions, references to their lives in the literary record were erased, and the memory of both was condemned.' (Wiki)

Constantine fell ill shortly after Easter in 337. He summoned his bishops, and told them he wanted to be baptised in the River Jordan, as Christ had been. He requested the baptism immediately, promising to live a more Christian life should he survive his illness. The bishops "performed the sacred ceremonies according to custom". Constantine died soon afterwards at a suburban villa called Achyron, on the last day of the fifty-day festival of Pentecost directly following Easter, on 22 May 337. His body was taken to Constantinople and buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles. (Wiki)

So now you know.

"La Multi Ani" fericiti tuturor celor ce poarta numele sfintilor Constantin si Elena!

Sources: Orthodox Church in America, Wikipedia: Constantin Chlorus, Constantine the Great and Helena (Empress), Encyclopaedia Britannica, Constantine I

'Magna cum Fraude': Dumitrescu, Mang, Kovesi and now Plumb. Who's next?

(Image source) Romania's politicians and officials have been hitting the headlines these last few weeks owing to their embroidery skills - embroidery, that is, of their CVs. Whether it be inventing academic awards, exaggerating their qualifications or committing downright plagiarism, it's become a little like the song, 'Ten Green Bottles'...

Two weeks ago, Corina Dumitrescu was fired from her stand-in position as Minister of Education for being somewhat economical with the truth on her CV. This alone, was damaging to USL, who needed to give a water-tight and confidence-boosting show of ministers seen as trustworthy and honest. Big oops. The ex-minister of education, Daniel Funeriu, reportedly said, "Corina Dumitrescu is the very fibre of PSD - a plagiariser and a liar." 

Dumitrescu and her husband Cristian, a deputy, are also implicated in accusations of plagiarising work by Professor Octavian Manolache dating back to 2007. How did someone with such a track record ever get to be nominated minister of education, no matter how temporary the position? Certainly the choice of Dumitrescu for the post was extremely controversial.

(Image source) Her replacement, Ioan Mang, wasn't much better - he was 'let go' due to very solid accusations of plagiarism in at least EIGHT of his academic papers.

'Mang is a computer scientist at the University of Oradea in northwestern Romania, and has served on the senate’s education committee, which tried to hinder the previous government’s research reforms. One of Mang’s papers under scrutiny (I. Mang Seria Technichni nauki 12, 129–135; 2004) was allegedly a near-identical copy of a manuscript intended for presentation at a scientific workshop and authored by cryptographer Eli Biham, the dean of computer science at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa.

Biham notes that Mang withdrew the manuscript from the workshop because of conceptual errors, but had been unable to completely remove the document from the Internet. Mang seemed “neither to have read nor tried to understand the claims” in the paper, Biham wrote last week on his website.' (text: Nature)

When pursued by journalists from the Romanian media, Mang stated that the claims were "politically inspired". He  pledged to resign if experts could prove the allegations to be true. Prove them, they did. Mang is no more... He has since been replaced by Liviu Pop, whose grammar and spelling reportedly leaves a lot to be desired. Ponta jokingly referred to the position of minister of education as 'the electric chair' but it really is no laughing matter and does nothing to improve Romania's reputation beyond its borders. Crooked ministers - that we knew, but so blatently crooked?

Ponta referred the Mang case to the Romanian Academy, even though it has no mandate to investigate allegations of scientific misconduct.

(Image source) The next far more shocking claim of plagiarism to hit the press (IMHO) was directed at Laura Codruta Kovesi, the General Prosecutor of Romania. This, however, really came as no surprise, for she landed the job at the age of 28 before she'd even finished her MA. Seems very odd that one so young should have a position of such responsibility - and without being fully qualified, not to mention a lack of life experience. I suppose it helps to have a father who just happens to be a bigshot prosecutor in Medias.

Kovesi's thesis is a true example of how to plagiarise with pure arrogance. Her opening paragraph was literally lifted from another work without any effort to use synonyms, change punctuation or reverse sentences. No, it was a 'copy/paste' job. As if, somehow, she knew that no one would be checking it and no questions would be asked. See THIS excellently detailed blogpost from the 'Ovidiu online blog' for more on that - it's astonishing. And what is all the MORE astonishing is that the plagiarism is so incredibly flagrant - no one, however, moved a muscle or lifted a finger to have her removed. The General Prosecutor of an entire country, responsible for stamping out corruption, disorder and bringing criminals to book. Ironic?

In addition, Kovesi is not ONLY General Prosecutor of the entire country, though you'd wonder how she could have time for anything else, the crime-rate being as it is. She is also professor at FOUR different universities where she teaches an hour a week at each one. Salary? You'd better sit down for this. 1000 euros per month from each university, ie. 4,000 euros a month for 16 teaching hours - that's 250 euros an hour... Huh? Simply OUTRAGEOUS!!! And they say we get 'well-paid' in the west!!! I'm obviously teaching at universities in the wrong country. No wonder there's no money in the coffers of Romania's ministry of education, paying salaries like that to so-called 'professors' who steal other people's work for their own gain. Despicable.

This morning, I received a message from a friend of mine with THIS LINK regarding Kovesi's earnings. RD wrote,
"As you can see, according to her last income statement in 2010, she received 137,563 lei as salary + 45,794 lei allowance from CSM. That's a total of 183,357 lei per year or 15,280 lei per month (some 3,500 euros/month)... It's very obvious that the copy/paste method so dear to our politicians really works, and it pays very well." It does indeed. And her additional 4,000 euros from the universities are not mentioned here, so you can add that on too, making her income at an approximative and very comfy 7,500 euros/month. Nice....

The question on many people's lips today is, if forced to resign (and why should she be given the honour of resigning? She should be fired), would she be offered a job as a magistrate? MAGISTRATE? After having been caught plagiarising?!? Magistrates are supposed to be upholders of the law. This woman is an imposter, a cheat, a thief aaaaand a liar. Magistrate?!? Gimme a break.

PSD is trying to kick her out anyway for her rôle in the Boldea case, see HERE. If not for one thing, then another will do. How she remained in her position for so long can only be explained away by nepotism at the extreme. Neeeeeext!

(Image source) This morning, I nearly fell off my chair - yet ANOTHER accusation of falsifying a CV, this time aimed at the minister of environment and forests, Rovana Plumb.

Rovana Plumb declared in her CV that, in 1999, she was awarded a diploma in Management Strategy from the George Washington University. When Hotnews.ro contacted the university for confirmation of the award, they could find no trace of such a diploma ever existing for Ms Plumb.

(Image source) When questioned by journalists, she said that she had attended a one or two week course on a "Romanian Executive Development Programme" and was proud of the 'diploma' she had received. Hotnews sent the document to the university who said, simply, that it was NOT a diploma, but a certificate for having attended the course. I have a couple just like that, one for a translation course I took with the American University here in Paris and another for an interpreter's course at the Sorbonne. Indeed, they can NOT be declared as diplomas. They are purely proof of presence and nothing more. They have zero academic value.

Daniel Funeriu told the press that he was “appalled by the dimension of fraud”, which damages the international credibility of Romania. It doesn't only damage credibility for the country itself, but also for the thousands (I hope) of HONEST graduates with real, bona fide qualifications. As it is, academic awards from Romania are considered doubtful in the west to say the least. Questions are always raised as to whether they were bought, plagiarised or earned honestly - terribly unfair to the average hard-working student. As long as these high-ranking imposters continue to lie, cheat and copy/paste for positions of power and responsibility, there is little hope for anyone else...

The question remains how on earth such fiction, exaggeration and embroidery could go undetected for so long (particularly in the case of Kovesi).

For more, if you can stomach it, please see this site, Grupul de Investigatii Politice - they are doing a courageous job in a country so sadly dominated by fraud, corruption, embezzlement and theft.

To be continued...

21st May: Well, what do you know - another falsified CV, another diploma that never existed came to light this morning - this time, the acting Minister of Agriculture, Daniel Constantin, who declared he had a diploma from the Scottish Agricultural College. Nope. Hotnews continues to sniff out the list of imposters (I'm sure it's going to be a bottomless pit) - and Ponta's government is looking, indeed, more and more like a copy/paste club than ever... Daniel Constantin should know that when one's in a hole, one should stop digging: "It was a course which lasted a few days and held here in Romania by a Scottish professor. I didn't use it as an academic qualification," he said. Incredible. "A few days".... Read the full story HERE in Revista 22.

24th May: Please see THIS ARTICLE from Revista 22 by Stefan Vianu (son of Ionel Vianu) regarding phony doctorats.

Romanian Cinema: "Romanian new wave" and Beyond the Hills...

("Intense realism": A scene from "The Death of Mr Lazarescu" Photograph: Tartan Films)

Romania is a gold mine of outstanding films. Cristi Puiu's The Death of Mr Lazarescu, Catalin Mitulescu's The Way I Spent The End of The World, Corneliu Porumboiu's 12.08 East of Bucharest, Radu Muntean's The Paper Will Be Blue, Ruxandra Zenide's Ryna, Cristian Nemescu's California Dreamin', and of course Cristian Mungiu's 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days come immediately to mind in terms of "Romania's new wave" films. If you haven't explored them (and so many others), then you're missing out on a treat. Of course, they are often terribly tragic, drenched in bleakness and melancholia, but they are also beautiful, sensitive and profoundly memorable. Exactly what one would expect from Romania's turbulent and, more often than not, painful, history. As Romanian film critic Eugenia Voda wrote in the early 1990s: "The Romanian cinema needs to start again from scratch. It has to regain a sense of everyday reality and it has to render truthfully an important slice of recent history which has been horribly falsified. A blast of neo-realism is practically a moral obligation for our cinema at this time in its history."

According to The Guardian's film blog, there was much speculation about what made the "Romanian new wave" special and there have been worries that the bubble might burst. How did Romania, one of the poorest countries in New Europe, manage to produce so many successful films? British critic Nick Roddick suggested that the Romanian film industry, such as it was, had no infrastructure and found it hard to produce films with larger budgets. The venerable David Robinson felt that the strength of the films was the way the directors made virtue out of necessity. Whatever the reason, fabulous films just keep coming and there's no sign of dwindling.

The Cannes Festival 2012 has just kicked off with the red carpet and ball gown brigade. It is wonderful to see that Romanian film directors are regular visitors there - and winners, too. Nothing has changed this year.

Cristian Mungiu's relationship with Cannes started back in 2002 when his debut film Occident was screened in the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs. Five years later, in 2007, he returned with the outstanding 4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days - written more, I believe, to educate non-Romanians on life under communism than a Romanian audience) winning a well-deserved Palme d'Or. In 2009, Amintiri din epoca de aur (Tales from the Golden Age), a collection of court-métrages written by Mungiu and directed by him and others, was screened in the section Un Certain Regard. Since the festival has screened ALL his feature-length films plus some of his court-métrages, he promises to be a strong contender with his new film Dupa dealuri (Beyond The Hills).

Dupa dealuri is said to be based on the non-fiction novel "Deadly Confession" by journalist Tatiana Niculescu Bran, which documents the true story of a young novice, Irina Cornici, who died in 2005 after being subjected to an exorcism ritual (chained to a cross for three days) in the Moldavian monastery of Tanacu. Incidentally, the priest responsible for the exorcism and subsequent death of Irina Cornici, a certain Daniel Corogeanu, was sentenced to 7 years for murder in January 2008 and released in November 2011 for good behaviour. The case shocked Romania deeply, dominating the media for weeks, with one newspaper declaring "Romania in the Middle Ages!" on its front page - pretty justifiably, IMHO. The appalling story of Irina Cornici will live once again through 'Beyond The Hills'. And rightly so - it (and she) should never be forgotten. If a lesson wasn't learned from that grisly tale of ignorance and fanaticism, then the tragedy is all the greater still...

(4 photos left from "Beyond The Hills": source) A number of first-time actresses, with the exception of Valeriu Andriuţă who played a significant part in Mungiu's first feature, Occident, spangle the cast list of Mungiu's latest, including his two leads, Cosmina Stratan and Cristina Flutur 

'Like "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days", the narrative of "Beyond The Hills" hinges on the strained friendship between two young women: Alina (Cristina Flutur) and Voichita (Cosmina Stratan) have been like sisters since meeting as children in an orphanage, but have been separated for several years following Alina's move to Germany. They reunite in a remote Romanian convent, where the newly devout Voichita has made a home for herself - to the exasperation of Alina, who wants to take Voichita back to Germany with her. As Alina challenges the church for custody of her friend, the convent residents fear she is possessed and order an exorcism. It's heady-sounding stuff, but should afford room for both the director's keen political insight and grim sense of humor.' (Hitfix)

With five years having passed since "4 Months," the pressure on his next feature to deliver is pretty hefty: rumour has it, though, that he's pulled off something very special.

See here: CLIP 1, CLIP 2, CLIP 3 for a taster of what's in store.

‘Beyond the Hills’, filmed in Campina and Bucharest between November 2011 and February 2012, is produced by Mobra Films and co-produced by Why Not Productions, Les Films du Fleuve, France 3 Cinema and Mandragora Movies. It secured US distribution with Sundance Selects back in February, which suggests it should easily reach the same international 'arty' audience that was wowed by Mungiu's last film.

Keeping fingers crossed and both eyes on Cannes....

Update 27th May, 2012: The Cannes 2012 jury, headed by Nanni Moretti, has awarded the prize for best screenplay to.... Cristian Mungiu for "Beyond the Hills"!!!

Mungiu told Le Figaro: "behind my story are people who truly suffered. My prize cannot change that but it can help improve the future."

Judge Jean-Luc Wachthausen stated, "The first good surprise of this festival and, without a doubt, the most moving and the most original of the selection."

And that's not all - Cosmina Stratan and Cristina Flutur both picked up awards as best actress. BRAVO!!

"It's unbelievable - we're hardly off the plane! Thank you Cannes and thank you Cristian Mungiu," said one of the actresses to the clicking cameras and frenzied journalists.

Congratulations! And sooooooooo well-deserved!

The Palme d'Or was awarded to Austrian film director Michaela Haneke for his film "Amour". For more info on other awards and the festival in general, please see Le Figaro and Canal Plus, 

The truth about Lyme Disease: important facts and info - PLEASE SHARE

(Image source) The recent news concerning actor Serban Ionescu who contracted Lyme disease after a tick bite last summer, Romanian medics' questionable understanding regarding the disease and the misguiding and sometimes completely inaccurate articles found in the Romanian press such as THIS just lately, all prompt this post. It is IMPERATIVE that Lyme disease is understood if it is to be avoided and/or treated correctly and efficiently. Rumours that it can be transmitted from person to person for example and that 80% of the Romanian population are possibly infected are completely FALSE, reeking of ignorance and panic-mongering. The tick should NOT be covered with lard to smother it. What a load of rubbish! And Lyme was NOT 'imported' from the USA and neither is it a fatal disease. It is completely treatable. There is NO NEED for people to die of Lyme in 2012.

It may be perfectly true that Lyme disease is 'new' to Romania and hence doctors are not as on the ball as they may be elsewhere. However, Lyme disease is THE most common tick-borne illness in Europe and North America. It was discovered more than twenty years ago and has certainly been on Romanian territory for just as long. Just because it failed to be diagnosed does NOT mean that it didn't exist. I therefore cannot find an excuse for ignorance on the part of doctors and medical staff throughout the country.

I beg you to read the following information carefully and then share it throughout the social networks whether by e-mail or FB. 'Forearmed is forewarned', after all. Perhaps together we can help dispel some of the absurd and uneducated rumours and fears flying around. If you know what causes it, the symptoms it gives, the risk factors and the treatment you ought to receive should you ever suspect you have Lyme disease, you are in control of your body, the care that should be given and the outcome.

All information below is linked to bona fide medical sources so that you can research further if you wish. Further reading in Romanian and a bibliography of references follows the text.

Definition

Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Deer ticks, which feed on the blood of animals and humans, can harbour the bacteria and spread it when feeding. If you're treated with appropriate antibiotics in the early stages of the disease, you're likely to recover completely. In later stages, response to treatment may be slower, but the majority of people with Lyme disease recover completely with appropriate treatment.

Symptoms

Lyme disease rash

• Rash: A few days to a month before you have other symptoms, a small, red bump may appear at the site of the tick bite. Over the next few days, the redness expands, forming a rash in a bull's-eye pattern, with a red outer ring surrounding a clear area. The rash, called erythema migrans, is one of the hallmarks of Lyme disease. Some people develop several of these rashes, an indication of bacteria multiplying in the blood stream.
• Flu-like symptoms: Fever, chills, fatigue, body aches and a headache may accompany the rash.
• Migratory joint pain: If the infection is not treated, you may develop bouts of severe joint pain and swelling several weeks to months after you're infected. Your knees are especially likely to be affected, but the pain can shift from one joint to another.
• Neurological problems: In some cases, inflammation of the membranes surrounding your brain (meningitis), temporary paralysis of one side of your face (Bell's palsy), numbness or weakness in your limbs, and impaired muscle movement may occur weeks, months or even years after an untreated infection.
• Less common signs and symptoms: Some people may experience heart problems — such as an irregular heartbeat — several weeks after infection, but this rarely lasts more than a few days or weeks. Eye inflammation, hepatitis and severe fatigue are possible as well.

There are 3 stages of Lyme disease.

• Stage 1 is called early localized Lyme disease. The infection is not yet widespread throughout the body.

• Stage 2 is called early disseminated Lyme disease. The bacteria have begun to spread throughout the body.

• Stage 3 is called late chronic Lyme disease. The bacteria have spread throughout the body.

Causes

Deer tick life stages

The Lyme disease bacterium is carried primarily by deer ticks. The ticks are brown and often no bigger than the head of the pin, which can make them nearly impossible to spot. Deer ticks typically feed on the blood of mice, small birds and deer, but they can also feed on the blood of humans, cats, dogs and horses. They live in low bushes and tall grasses of wooded areas, waiting for warm-blooded animals to pass by. Deer ticks are most active in the summer.

To contract Lyme disease, you must be bitten by an infected deer tick. The bacteria enter your skin through the bite and eventually make their way into your bloodstream. Before bacteria can be transmitted, a deer tick must take a blood meal, which can take more than 48 hours of feeding. Only ticks that are attached to your skin and are feeding can transmit the bacteria. An attached tick that has a swollen appearance may indicate that enough time has elapsed to transmit bacteria. Removing the tick as soon as possible may prevent infection.

Risk factors

• Spendingtime in wooded or grassy areas. Deer ticks are most prevalent in heavily wooded areas where deer ticks thrive. In these regions, children who spend a lot of time outdoors are especially at risk. So are people with outdoor occupations and those who live where mice are common. Deer ticks feed on mice, which are a prime reservoir for Lyme disease bacteria.
• Having exposed skin. Ticks attach easily to bare flesh. If you're in an area where ticks are common, protect yourself and your children by wearing long sleeves and long pants. Don't allow your pets to wander in tall weeds and grasses.
• Not removing ticks promptly or properly. Bacteria from a tick bite can enter your bloodstream only if the tick stays attached to your skin for 48 hours or longer. If you remove a tick within two days, your risk of acquiring Lyme disease is low.

Complications

Left untreated, Lyme disease can cause:

• Chronic joint inflammation (Lyme arthritis), particularly of the knee
• Neurological symptoms, such as facial palsy and neuropathy
• Cognitive defects, such as impaired memory
• Heart rhythm irregularities

Tests and diagnosis

• Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test: The test used most often to detect Lyme disease, ELISA detects antibodies to B. burgdorferi. But because it can sometimes provide false-positive results, it's not used as the sole basis for diagnosis. See further info HERE and HERE (Romanian)
• Western blot test: If the ELISA test is positive, another test — the Western blot — is usually done to confirm the diagnosis. The Western blot detects antibodies to several proteins of B. burgdorferi. See more info HERE and HERE (Romanian).
• Polymerase chain reaction (PCR): This test helps detect bacterial DNA in fluid drawn from an infected joint. It's not as effective at detecting infection of blood or urine. It's used for people who may have chronic Lyme arthritis. It may also be used to detect persistent infection in the cerebrospinal fluid of people who have nervous system symptoms. See further info HERE (Romanian).

Other tests that may be done, when the infection has become more widespread, include:

• Electrocardiogram

• Echocardiogram to look at the heart

• Lumbar puncture to examine spinal fluid

• MRI of the brain

Treatments and drugs

Antibiotics are used to treat Lyme disease.

Medications:

Oral antibiotics
Oral antibiotics are the standard treatment for early-stage Lyme disease. These usually include doxycycline for adults and children older than 8, or amoxicillin or cefuroxime for adults, younger children, and pregnant or breast-feeding women. These drugs often clear the infection and prevent complications. A 14- to 21-day course of antibiotics is usually recommended, but some studies suggest that courses lasting 10 to 14 days are equally effective. Patients allergic to penicillin are given erythromycin or related antibiotics.

Intravenous antibiotics
If the disease has progressed, your doctor may recommend treatment with an intravenous antibiotic for 14 to 28 days. This is effective in eliminating infection, although it may take some time to recover symptomatically. Intravenous antibiotics can cause various side effects, including a lower white blood cell count, mild to severe diarrhea, or colonisation or infection with other antibiotic-resistant organisms unrelated to Lyme.

Following treatment for Lyme disease, some people still have persistent fatigue and achiness. This general malaise can take months to slowly disappear, although it generally does so spontaneously without the use of additional antibiotic therapy. There is no evidence that the Borrelia infection causes chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia. Although some patients with Lyme disease may develop these problems, as with other patients who get chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia, long-term antibiotics will not hasten recovery.

Pain medications, such as ibuprofen, are sometimes prescribed to relieve joint stiffness.

IMPORTANT NOTE: In the first few weeks following infection (when the rash first appears), antibody tests are not reliable because a patient's immune system has not produced enough antibodies to be detected. Antibiotics given to a patient early during infection may also prevent antibodies from reaching detectable levels, even though the Lyme disease bacterium is the cause of the patient's symptoms.

Prevention

You can decrease your risk of getting Lyme disease with some simple precautions:

• Wear long trousers and sleeves. When walking in wooded or grassy areas, wear shoes, long pants tucked into your socks, a long-sleeved shirt, a hat and gloves. Try to stick to trails and avoid walking through low bushes and long grass. Keep your dog on a lead.
• Use insect repellents. Apply an insect repellent with a 10-30% concentration of DEET to your skin and clothing. Choose the concentration based on the hours of protection you need - the higher the concentration of DEET, the longer you are protected. A 10% concentration protects you for about two hours. Keep in mind that chemical repellents can be toxic, and use only the amount needed for the time you'll be outdoors. Don't use DEET on the hands of young children or on infants younger than 2 months. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, oil of lemon eucalyptus, a more natural product, offers the same protection as DEET when used in similar concentrations. Don't use this product on children younger than 3 years.
• Do your best to tick-proof your garden, if you have one. Clear brush and leaves where ticks live. Keep woodpiles in sunny areas.
• Check yourself, your children and your pets for ticks. Be especially vigilant after spending time in wooded or grassy areas. Deer ticks are often no bigger than the head of a pin, so you may not discover them unless you search carefully. It's helpful to shower as soon as you come indoors. Ticks often remain on your skin for hours before attaching themselves. Showering and using a washcloth may be enough to remove any unattached ticks.
• Don't assume you're immune. Even if you've had Lyme disease before, you can get it again

• If you are bitten by a tick:

  

See advice for prevention also HERE in Romanian.

Avoid Bismacine
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns consumers and health care providers to avoid Bismacine, an injectable compound prescribed by some alternative medicine practitioners to treat Lyme disease. Bismacine, also known as Chromacine, contains high levels of the metal bismuth. Although bismuth is safely used in some oral medications for digestive conditions, it's not approved for use in injectable form or as a treatment for Lyme disease. Bismacine can cause bismuth poisoning, which may lead to heart and kidney failure.

Is There a Vaccine for Lyme Disease?

In 1998, the FDA approved a vaccine for Lyme disease called LYMErix. Although some people reported becoming ill from the vaccine, the FDA found no evidence that it was dangerous. However, in February 2002, the makers of the vaccine pulled it off the market due to poor sales. Currently, there is no available vaccine on the market for Lyme disease.

Further reading in Romanian:

1. Wikipedia
2. Lyme.ro
3. i-medic.ro
4. Terapiamedicala.ro: Boala Lyme

Has sufferance been used as marketing strategy?

(Please click on source HERE) Just this evening, I noticed a message on Facebook that was doing the rounds, complete with photograph of the actor Serban Ionescu, today very seriously ill from Lyme disease. A little background for those who do not know the plight of this man: due to the tardiness of his diagnosis, Mr Ionescu and his family are now seriously considering the possibility of his transfer to a clinic in Vienna for treatment - the doctors in Romania have no idea how to treat him themselves (Lyme is apparently a new concept in Romania) and the rightful treatment has not been administered - precious time wasted, in other words. Just tonight, Realitatea reported on an original article from Cancan full of total misinformation, quoting a doctor who stated that it was probable that Mr Ionescu's family and neighbours had 'caught' the disease [from him] and it was also likely that 80% of the population of Romania were also infected with Lyme... that coming from a 'doctor'. Unbelievable. It is a known fact that Lyme disease is NOT contageous and that it is treated by a month-long course of high-dose antibiotics as early as possible. A terrible tragedy for Mr Ionescu and his loved ones.

But that, though bad enough, is not why I am as angry tonight as I am. I am angry because this afore-mentioned message on Facebook claimed that with each 'share' of the photo, 0.5 lei would be donated for the cause of Mr Ionescu. Of course, it did not say what for exactly, nor how the money would be spent. Can clicking 'share' really mean the donation of half a leu? I'll let you be the judge of that... but it sure does multiply its advertising and the number of people reached.

(Please click on source HERE) The account posting this photo of a very ill Mr Ionescu belongs to Zorilestore.ro. Beside it, one reads the following: "UPDATE: Multumim tuturor celor care au dat share si s-au implicat in aceasta actiune umanitara. Datorita implicarii voastre am strans suma de 100 de milioane de lei (10.000 RON) in mai putin de 5 ore. Acesta a fost bugetul maxim pe care compania noastra l-a alocat actiunii pe Facebook. Nu putem suplimenta acest buget destinat share-ului pe Facebook, dar vom dona 1% din cifra de afaceri in perioada 15.05 – 15.06.2010 pentru a suplimenta fondurile. Va multumim inca o data si va asteptam pe site.

(Click on source HERE) In this album are three identical photographs of Serban Ionescu, with different captions, and when one googles Zorilestore.ro, the same photo is visible on the main home page on a loop with images of 'papuci'. Be patient and you'll see the photo of Mr Ionescu (with details of the campaign) between Puma pumps and Fila trainers. Yes, Zorilestore is no other than a commercial site selling trainers, flip-flops and other footwear... 

'Trurli, trurli, draga...'

(Photo source) Perfect for a Sunday morning, this lovely Romanian foxtrot (also performed as a tango), 'Trurli, trurli, draga' was written in 1934 by Stroe and Vasilache. Vasile Vasilache met a tragic and untimely death in the bombing of Bucharest on 4th April, 1944, leaving Nicolae Stroe to continue the radio programme, "Ora Vesela" they had begun together for Radio Bucharest in 1929, alone.

There have been many versions of 'Trurli, trurli, draga' over the years with a variety of styles and all of them marvellous: Titi Botez (an undeniable tango), Dorel Livianu, Angela Similea, Picky (I love this one) and Paula Seling to name just a few, but my all-time favourite is that of Mihaela Mihai - I adore her voice and that catchy '60s rhythm.

Here are the lyrics in case you don't know them - you'll want to sing along for sure. Impossible to resist!

Happy Sunday! :o)

Trurli, trurli, draga

Printre flori am colindat
Ghiocei am adunat
Si oricât am cautat
Nu te-am aflat
Nu te-am aflat

Pâna când de dor purtat
Florile-am înduiosat
Glasul lor am ascultat
Pe înserat
Pe înserat

Mi-a soptit o viorea
C-ai sa-mi dai inima ta
Trurli, Trurli, draga
Te-as ruga pe dumneata
Sa n-o mai dai altcuiva,
Trurli, trurli, draga
Mi-a soptit o viorea
C-ai sa-mi dai inima ta

Mai departe am fugit
Dorul nu mi-am potolit
Lacrimi multe-am risipit
Si te-am iubit
Si te-am iubit

Si de gânduri chinuit
Printre flori iar am venit
Vioreaua n-am gasit
S-a vestejit
Si a murit

Mi-a soptit o viorea
C-ai sa-mi dai inima ta
Trurli, Trurli, draga
Te-as ruga pe dumneata
Sa n-o mai dai altcuiva,
Trurli, trurli, draga
Mi-a soptit o viorea
C-ai sa-mi dai inima ta

Liar! Liar! Pants on fire!

Oh dear, oh dear... falsifying CVs... Well, I s'pose everyone adds a little bit of poetic licensing to their CVs, whether it's making dates add up so gaps of doing nothing much seem less obvious or exaggerating responsibilities in a particular post to appear more capable. I have students who write 'English: fluent' on their CVs in the 'language' section, when, frankly, they are far from it. But when you get to a position in life where you're the Dean (and founder) of a university and have been nominated Minister of Education, I suppose one should have rectified any embroidering of the truth long ago... It makes one question just how much of a CV is truthful, doesn't it? It stands to reason that if there's one fib, there'll possibly be others. As a result of the aforementioned, Corina Dumitrescu's nomination (which only lasted a couple of days and was wholely unpopular right across the board in any case) as Minister of Education in Ponta's new government has been revoked. It just goes to show that being misleading or actively lying on your CV can catch you up at any time – as was the case with Marilee Jones, author and former Dean of Admissions at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, sussed nearly 3 decades later.... Truth will out eventually.

Incidentally, Corina Dumitrescu's replacement, Ioan Mang, is currently under investigation for plagerism. Innit marvellous... Can't they find someone decent to act as Minister of Education? In a country with sooooo many excellent teachers, it can't be that hard to find someone honest, cultured, educated can it? You'd think not. Can we put forward suggestions, I wonder?

No one will be surprised to learn that neither Corina Dumitrescu nor Ioan Mang are isolated cases. It has got me wondering how many politicians (not only in Romania, either) actually have truthful CVs and why on earth they are not verified with more care so that embarrassing cases such as those of, for example, Germany's zu Guttenberg, Ireland's Barry McSweeney, former Interior Minister of Iran, Ali Kordan  and former senior director at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Laura Callahan can be avoided. Not only is it embarrassing to them personally, but on a national scale, it's hugely shameful. And if it isn't, then it should be. The view on cheating and lying needs to get to a point where it is a total 'no-no', not considered part of every day life and brushed under an already very dusty rug.

Elena Basescu lied on her CV stating that she had spent two years studying in the US when, in fact she only spent two semesters - and part-time, at that. Radu Duda has been rather economical with the truth, too. He said that he graduated from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, University of Harvard but the university could not confirm this. They could confirm, though, that he had followed a two-week course there. How can one graduate from a University after a two-week course? Naughty Prince Radu. His CV on-line has been very recently altered - the reference to Harvard has disappeared. At least Van Ghelie hasn't claimed to have a PhD in Nuclear Science...

Of course, there's an additional temptation these days: the churning out of fake diplomas and degrees via the internet has become something of an epidemic. There are now an estimated 5,000 diploma mills throughout the world selling bogus academic credentials in exchange for money and little or no coursework. Between 2000-2010, this industry accounted for over $1 billion in sales. Unbelievable. See HERE for an example of a fake PhD. The universities cited are not prestigious - quite the opposite. Having a degree from one of these 'mills' is a criminal offense and one may be charged with fraud if rumbled. I wonder how many people in high-powered positions are there due to fake degrees? One would think background checks would be done, but as we have seen, there are few. If at all. Until it's too late. Today, the names of such 'universities' are pretty well-known, amongst them Belford University (in a cupboard in India), Hamilton University in Wyoming, Great Britain's Hartley University, Stanton University in Hawaii, Vancouver University Worldwide and University of Wexford in Great Britain... At least we know who they are, but more are joining the list every day.

I hope such revelations will lead to a massive investigation of those in the public eye and their claims to degrees, masters and other academic awards from prestigious (and less so) foreign universities. Perhaps people will finally realise that it's impossible to get away with BS-ing their way through life. One EARNS academic awards. One works HARD for them, to which any decent student can testify. It makes me thoroughly sick, having slogged for my MA with blood, sweat and a lot of tears of frustration and stress pretty late in life, to imagine there are those who invent their qualifications to be whatever they fancy in order to wriggle into well-paid jobs and positions of power that are built on a lie and completely undeserved. Shame on them. If the rest of us have to get our noses to the grindstone and work our bits off to further our careers then so should they.

Here is the article from Hotnews dated 4th May on Corina Dumitrescu with mentions of Elena Basescu and Radu Duda towards the end. Nice one, Hotnews, and please keep up the enquiries. Please shame those who claim to be graduates of Harvard, Eton, LCE, UCLA or wherever, when they can't even write their CVs without grammatical faults. SHAME!!! What amazes me is the sheer arrogance of believing they will get away with it - sadly, however, many do.

Exclusiv HotNews.ro Universitatea Stanford despre Corina Dumitrescu: Nu a fost inscrisa si nu a absolvit un program finalizat cu diploma al Universitatii Stanford/ Dumitrescu: E un stagiu de pregatire pe care l-am facut la Institutul Hoover/ Hoover: Institutul nu sustine cursuri

Corina Dumitrescu

Foto: Agerpres

Reprezentantii Universitatii Stanford din SUA au transmis la solicitarea HotNews.ro ca nu au gasit date oficiale care sa ateste ca ministrul Educatiei propus de Victor Ponta, Corina Dumitrescu, ar fi fost inscrisa sau ar fi absolvit un program finalizat cu diploma al universitatii. Corina Dumitrescu a precizat in CV-ul oficial postat pe site-ul CSM ca in 1996 a studiat la Stanford cu mentiunea ca a urmat cursuri de drept international. Contactata de HotNews.ro, Corina Dumitrescu a declarat doar ca “e un studiu pe care l-am facut la Institutul Hoover, un stagiu de pregatire, si o sa va dau toate detaliile de marti incolo”.

• UPDATE: Institutul Hoover a precizat pentru Realitatea TV ca "nu sustine cursuri, asa ca aceasta persoana nu ar fi putut studia aici, cel mult poate a vizitat Institutul Hoover in alta calitate"
• Oficialii Universitatii Stanford au mai precizat ca universitatea are multe programe de studiu care nu acorda diplome
• Institutia Hoover este un think tank aflat in campusul Universitatii Stanford, dedicat cercetarii in domeniile politicii interne si a relatiilor internationale, potrivit datelor publicate pe site-ul institutiei.

Corina Dumitrescu, propunerea lui Victor Ponta pentru ministerul Educatiei, a mentionat in CV-ul oficial postat pe site-ul Consiliului Superior al Magistraturii ca in 1996 a studiat la "Universitatea Standford, California", scriind gresit numele universitatii. Sub aceasta mentiune, Corina Dumitrescu a precizat ca domeniul studiat a fost drept international. Ministrul propus al Educatiei nu a mentionat durata exacta a studiilor, nu a precizat daca a fost un program de studiu de cateva luni, daca a fost vorba de un schimb de experienta sau daca a participat la un simplu seminar.



Contactati de HotNews.ro, reprezentantii Universitatii Stanford au declarat ca nu au gasit nici un fel de date despre studiile Corinei Dumitrescu acolo. Reprezentantii departamentului de comunicare al Stanford au explicat ca ministrul propus Corina Dumitrescu nu detine o diploma de la Stanford si nici nu apare ca inscrisa intr-un program de studiu care se finalizeaza cu o diploma.

Citeste mai jos raspunsul Stanford

"Nu avem date oficiale potrivit carora Corina Dumitrescu ar fi fost inscrisa sau ar fi absolvit un program finalizat cu diploma al Universitatii Stanford.

Stanford are multe programe de studiu care nu acorda diplome. Acestea includ programe pentru personalul administrativ si oficialii guvernamentali care doresc sa aprofundeze anumite zone de interes. Durata lor variaza de la seminare de o zi pana la programe de cateva luni.

Fara mai multe informatii specifice, nu va putem fi de mai mult ajutor in a raspunde intrebarilor dumneavoastra; cu exceptia precizarii ca Corina Dumitrescu nu detine o diploma acordata de Stanford.

Va trebui sa o intrebati direct pentru mai multe detalii cu privire la ceea ce ar fi putut studia aici."

Pentru conformitate prezentam mai jos raspunsul original in engleza transmis de Stanford la solicitarea HotNews.ro
Raspuns Stanford despre Corina Dumitrescu - Engleza
Corina Dumitrescu: E un studiu pe care l-am facut la Institutul Hoover

Contactata de HotNews.ro, Corina Dumitrescu a declarat urmatoarele:

"Pentru toate aceste intrebari, de marti incolo. Sunt studii si studii. Nu am scris ca am master, nu am scris ca am licenta de acolo. E un studiu pe care l-am facut la Institutul Hoover, un stagiu de pregatire, si o sa va dau toate detaliile de marti incolo".

Institutia Hoover este un think tank situat in campusul Universitatii Stanford, dedicat cercetarii in domeniile politicii interne si a relatiilor internationale, potrivit datelor publicate pe site-ul institutiei. Printre membrii institutiei se numara personalitati carora le-a fost decernat premiul Nobel. La Institutia Hoover se afla si arhivele Radio Europa Libera. 

Surse: Corina Dumitrescu este cercetata de ANI pe motiv de incompatibilitate intre functia de rector si cea de membru CSM

Agentia Nationala de Integritate are in lucru o sesizare cu privire la situatia Corinei Dumitrescu, urmand sa se pronunte asupra compatibilitatii functiei de membru in Consiliul Superior al Magistraturii cu cea de rector al Universitatii Crestine "Dimitrie Cantemir", au declarat pentru HotNews.ro surse oficiale. ANI a fost sesizata in acest caz anul trecut de Consiliul Superior al Magistraturii. Intre timp, Corina Dumitrescu a fost propusa de Victor Ponta sa ocupe functia de ministru al Educatiei.

Corina Dumitrescu are greseli gramaticale in CV

UPDATE: Reprezentantii CSM au declarat pentru HotNews.ro ca in acest moment se fac verificari pentru a identifica sursa greselilor din CV.

In CV-ul Corinei Dumitrescu, postat si pe site-ul CSM unde este membru si datat 14.10.2010, apar mai multe greseli gramaticale si de scriere. Astfel, Corina Dumitrescu scrie in CV ca are o diploma de bacalaureat - sectia reala si ca a urmat cursuri de drept international la Universitatea Stanford, California. La capitolul "Alte aptitudini si competente", aceasta mentioneaza "innot, baschet si tenis de masa".

Despre acest subiect HotNews.ro a mai scris aici: Corina Dumitrescu, propusa in functia de ministru al Educatiei, are greseli gramaticale in CV 

Presedintele CSM, Alina Ghica, spune ca greselile au fost facute de catre aparatul tehnic al Consiliului

Ulterior aparitiei acestor informatii in presa, presedintele CSM, judecatoarea Alina Ghica a declarat, intr-o emisiune de la Romania TV, ca greselile din CV apartin aparatului tehnic al Consiliului care ar fi redactat gresit informatiile. (Sursa: Adevarul).

Intre timp, CV-ul Corinei Dumitrescu de pe site-ul CSM a fost corectat si schimbat, dar pastreaza aceeasi data a completarii 14.10.2010. 

Greselile gramaticale se regasesc si in alte CV-uri ale Corinei Dumitrescu

Greselile gramaticale din CV-ul Corinei Dumitrescu nu apar doar in documentul de pe site-ul CSM (postat in 2011), ci si pe alte CV-uri depuse la alte institutii si avand date de completare diferite. Astfel, greselile gramaticale se regasesc si intr-un CV postat la Senat si datat pe 12.06.2008.  

Acelasi lucru se poate constata si cu CV-ul depus tot la Senat in 2010, in completarea candidaturii Corinei Dumitrescu la CSM. Mentionam ca data completarii acestui CV, 14.10.2010, postat la Senat in anul 2010 este aceeasi cu cea a CV-ului postat ulterior, in 2011, pe site-ul CSM.

Citeste mai jos si ce alti politicieni si-au imbunatatit CV-ul

Elena Basescu a studiat in regim part-time doua semestre in Statele Unite/ Traian Basescu: E totusi un copil care a terminat la James Madison University 

Elena Basescu a urmat doua semestre in regim part-time in Statele Unite, in toamna lui 2002 si primavara lui 2003, au explicat pentru HotNews.ro reprezentantii James Madison University. In schimb, Traian Basescu a declarat ca fiica sa “a terminat studiile in Statele Unite”, pe care si le-a echivalat in Romania. Universitatea Romano-Americana sustine ca mezina presedintelui si-a petrecut ultimul an de facultate la JMU in cadrul unui schimb de studenti. O mica inadvertenta apare in CV-ul ei de masterand la SNSPA, unde Elena Basescu scrie ca a studiat doi ani in America, nu unul singur.

Cum si-a umflat si dezumflat Radu Duda studiile la Harvard 

Radu Duda sustine ca este absolvent al John F. Kennedy School of Government, Universitatea Harvard SUA si al Colegiului George C. Marshall din Germania. Contactati de HotNews.ro, oficialii Harvard au explicat ca nu se poate spune ca Radu Hohenzollern-Veringen este absolvent, ci a urmat un curs de doua saptamani. Si cei de la George C. Marshall spun ca e corect sa se spuna ca Radu Duda a participat la un seminar de o saptamana, nu ca e absolvent. Dupa ce HotNews.ro i-a cerut lamuriri, paragraful din biografia Principelui in care spune ca a absolvit Harvard a fost modificat. In CV-ul lui Radu Duda nu mai scrie acum ca e absolvent la prestigioasa universitate americana.

Emperor Traian and the She-Wolf - an empirical eye-sore or a work of art?

(Image source) I wasn't going to add to the already multiple articles on the controversial statue of Emperor Traian and the She-Wolf on the steps of Bucharest's National History Museum inaugurated last week by Sorin Oprescu, but... I just can't help myself and anyway, it's a rather amusing (if not hideous) diversion from what's happening in government right now.

Dear, oh dear, oh dear... The capital has been 'adorned' with so many eye-sores these last few years that it begs comprehension - Charles de Gaulle in Herastrau (the General looks like a butler), Nicolae Balcescu splashing about in the fountain of Piata Pache Protopopescu, the famous tooth-pick and the potato at Piata Revolutiei, Codre's plagiarised and frankly appalling Carol I in front of the Royal Palace on calea Victoriei, the indescribable 'Caragiale' at the National Theatre that defies any adjective I can think of and oh, so many more. Please see this superbly tongue-in-cheek post from Rezistenta Urbana for images and further info. It has been said that a city has the monuments it deserves. I don't know what on earth Bucharest did to merit such apologies in the name of art, but boy, it must have been pretty bad!

(Image source) The unflattering (and rather disrespectful) bronze statue of Emperor Traian in his birthday-suit holding the Dacian she-wolf by super powers of levitation (unless she just happened to be flying by which would account for the Biggles-style scarf flapping behind head and tail) has been a topic of dispute beween Bucharest City Hall and the National Museum of History, on whose steps the statue was plonked in the autumn of last year after having been under plastic wrap since November. A shame they removed the wrapping! Both tourists and Bucharesteans alike have flocked to see it, snapping away and posting their pix all over the social networks not because they think it's an incredible work of art, but because they simply cannot believe how awful it is.

The director of the National History Museum, Ernest Oberländer Târnoveanu, said the statue would not be there for long, despite the fact that it was legally placed there, with all the required approvals. It was okay'd in 2009 by City Hall and the Ministry of Culture (presumably along with Stefan Damian who was head of Heritage within the Department of Historical Monuments at the time) and recommended by academician Răzvan Theodorescu at a total cost of 200.000 lei. The tax-payers of Bucharest must be thrilled to see where some of their hard-earned money has ended up.

(Image source) A (sparse) few do like it, though. Mihai Oroveanu, director of the National Museum of Contemporary Art and president of the Public Monuments Commission told Mediafax: “It is a modern work, from one of our best sculptors, of an impeccable professionalism. […] I think these people would refuse even a Brancusi these days.”

The statue was created by Romanian sculptor Vasile Gorduz (1931-2008) and is part of a series of three identical pieces, one in Seville (the nearest modern city to Traian’s birthplace), and another in Rome. The statue in Bucharest completes this series, commemorating Traian’s victory over the Dacians and the inclusion of the area that is 'roughly now modern Romania in the Roman Empire'. That may well be, but Emperor Traian looks anything but powerful and does little (actually, it does nothing at all) to inspire a sense of national pride. It does, however, inspire much finger-pointing, laughter and ridicule which wasn't really the aim.

Incidentally, 'Traianus Maximus Penibilis' (as it has become known) has made quite a mark in the international press - please see The Telegraph (very funny - same article appears in several other publications including France 24), Yahoo News, the BBC and Turkey's Hurriyet to name just a few.

(Image: TNR) You can't be sure of much in Romania, but one thing you CAN rely on without risk of disappointment is the fabulous sense of humour. The satirical website Times New Roman (in Romanian) commented that "Bucharest's mayor has just inaugurated the first monument dedicated to Romania's stray dogs" (see image left - ohhh, how I chuckled!). A reader, Sousake, added his comment: "The orginal name of the statue was: Romanian man after paying his taxes." "I don't get it, the guy has no underwear but the stray dog wears a scarf, so is it cold or is it warm?" wondered NL on HotNews.ro. An excellent observation. "I suggest the statue should be called 'Centurion Biggus Dickus (as in Monty Python's 'Life of Brian') and the Levitating Dog'," wrote another. See also Catavencii and Latina vulgara on the 'Moshe & Mordechai' blog. The latter is really a scream. Nice one, Mordechai!

Joking apart, it would be a crying shame, however, if those that had never heard of Vasile Gorduz up until now were to judge him on his Traian trilogy. Gorduz was, indeed, an impressive sculptor and deserves respect for his work, rather than ending up the butt of hilarity and ridicule. What induced these three weird wonders is anybody's guess. Please see more on Vasile Gorduz HERE, HERE and HERE (an exposition at Mogosoaia) if you have a Facebook account and HERE if you don't. Take a look also at Gorduz's statue of Eminescu in Montreal, Canada - hard to believe it's the same artist.

And so the giggles and derision continue (see photos HERE) whilst the dispute rages on: should it stay or should it go? Those in favour of it remaining are understandably few and far between - no surprise there...

Victor Ponta's proposed government announced this evening

(Image source) The list of ministers in Victor Ponta's proposed government was announced this evening. Ponta was named to form a new government after the Democratic Liberal-dominated government (PDL) headed by Mihai Razvan Ungureanu lost to a vote of no-confidence in Parliament last Friday. 

The Parliamentary vote is scheduled for next Monday (May 7th), whilst the new ministers will establish the governing plan on Friday this week (May 4th). Ponta said that the political union of Social Democrats and Liberals (USL) now numbers 229 MPs out of the total 231 needed to vote in the new government.

The list runs as follows:

• Finance and deputy prime minister: Florin Georgescu (First Deputy Governor of the Romanian Central Bank) (PSD)
• Foreign Affairs: Andrei Marga (PNL)
• Justice: Titus Corlatean (PSD)
• Economy & Commerce: Daniel Chitoiu (PNL)
• Administration and Interior: Ioan Rus (held same position in Nastase Government, 2000-2004) (PSD)
• Defence: Corneliu Dobritoiu (PNL)
• Agriculture: Daniel Constantin (PC)
• Labour: Mariana Campeanu (PNL)
• Education: Corina Dumitrescu (PSD) replaced by Ioan Mang (PSD) 6/05/2012 following a string of scandals re: her CV, time spent at Stanford, CA and plagerism
• Transport & Infrastructure: Ovidiu Silaghi (PNL)
• Health: Vasile Cepoi (PSD)
• Development and Tourism: Eduard Helvig (PNL)
• Culture: Mircea Diaconu (PNL)
• Communication: Dan Nica (PSD)
• European Affairs: Leonard Orban (no change and without political affiliation)
• Environment & Forests: Rovana Plumb (PSD)
• Administration: Victor Paul Dobre (PNL)

Four minister-delegate: Liviu Marian Pop (Social dialogue minister), Lucian Isar (Business Environment minister), Mircea Dusa (minister for relations with Parliament), Victor Alistar (governmental strategies minister)

“It’s a special government, created in special circumstances with a limited mandate until the general election,” Ponta said. “It is essential for the new government to respect Romania’s pledges to its international lenders, but it is also essential to respect our pledges to our citizens.”

Incidentally, I think Calin Popescu-Tariceanu (PNL) was offered the position for Foreign Affairs but refused it. Not sure about that though, so don't quote me! I'm glad to see Leonard Orban and Mariana Campeanu.

For more on the current situation, please see this article by Ronnie Smith from The Romanian Business Insider - perhaps the best explanation I have seen so far in the English language.

I still cannot comment as I still do not know what to say... I dislike Basescu intensely and would love to see him gone - but I dislike PSD just as much and cannot bear for Iliescu, Nastase and such cronies to be in the position they find themselves today. I cannot forgive them for what they did to Romania (I find the mineriade so utterly unforgivable that every time I see Iliescu's face I want to be sick), neither in terms of what they stole nor how they double-crossed and manipulated an entire people. I am told that it's not the same as it was, that it has changed. Changed? Really? In my humble experience when it comes to Romania, I have learned that names may change but the characters do not...

Watch this space.

Victor Ponta named Prime Minister after overwhelming no-confidence vote

(Photo source) I can't quite get my head around events in Bucharest today and so I'm reserving any comment until things become clearer. For sure, much has been made by the Romanian press of handshakes between Ponta and Voicu, outrageous accusations, insults and mud-flinging from all sides along with Sorina Placinta being blackmailed by Udrea (according to Ponta) to vote against the motion and then locked in Raluca Turcan's office so she couldn't vote anyway. Sorina Placinta herself denies all this, however, so who knows what really happened...

What is factual and what is to be taken with a pinch of salt is way beyond me, so I'll give up trying to make any sense of this bizarre, post-modernist style soap opera for the next day or two.

For the moment, here's a recent article from AFP:

Romania left-wing opposition leader named prime minister

Romanian President Traian Basescu on Friday designated left-wing opposition leader Victor Ponta as new prime minister after the collapse of the centre-right government.

Sinagoga Albastra, Brasov

Anyone passing through the Schei Gate of Brasov can stop to admire the impressive synagogue on Str Poarta Schei, 29, but only a few know about a gem - Sinagoga Albastra - hidden in a courtyard at str Castelului, 64 built by the orthodox jews of the city early on in the 20th century. Today, it stands alone and horribly neglected, window panes broken, paint chipped and washed away by years of inattention, rusted fencing and rotting woodwork - and only those who love history enough to bother, I'm told, pass through the heavy wooden door in the street to pay it a visit...

The first members of the jewish community settled in Brasov in 1807. Little by little, their numbers grew until, in 1940, there were around 6,000. After World War II, there remained only 200. It is automatic, perhaps, to imagine they fell vitim to the horrific deportations and what followed, but actually, most of the jewish community emigrated to Israel and the US. As far as I know and from what many tell me, there were no deportations in nor from Brasov.

Back in 1877, the community divided itself into two - traditional orthodox and neologist, building their own place of worship. The neologist synagogue on str Poarta Schei was inaugurated in 1901. Built in gothic and mauresque style with a basilica layout of three naves, it was registered on the list of historic monuments of national interest.

On strada Castelului, 64,  one finds a house which, though lovely, in no way prepares you for what you will find once inside the courtyard. An architectural beauty, the Sinogoga Albastra is today in grave danger. Built in 1924, it was the place of worship for the orthodox jews of Brasov. The outer walls are covered in stunning blue faïence and in the middle, a magnificent gold hannukiah. This once-stunning monument can no longer be visited. It is all locked up and a danger zone. To get in to the courtyard, one should take pot luck and ring on the doorbells until someone answers, kindly letting you in - tell them you want to admire the synagogue and they will surely oblige.

The courtyard itself is also a jewel. One needs very little imagination to see how lovely it once was. Dead branches of wisteria and honeysuckle climb the walls and drape themselves elegantly (yes, even now) from one corner to another. Although the abodes are old and in dire need of attention, they, too, have an air of great nostalgia and a certain pride.

The synagogue stands at the end, taking your breath away as you walk in. The blue faîence is as bright as ever although no one has done anything to encourage it, and the hannukiah gives a tremendous sense of peace. On either side of the hannukiah are two lions - or perhaps they are sphynx. In any case, they are most majestic and defend the hannukiah with evident defiance.

I do not know who owns this wonderful monument, nor who is responsible for its demise. It was suggested that it belonged to the orthodox jewish community (which would make sense since they built it and worshipped there). Now there are none in Brasov, it has thus fallen to rack and ruin. If this is indeed the case, I suppose it is now the property of the state that would account for its sorry state. However, I have never heard of any jewish community (whether orthodox or neologic) who would allow such a humiliating thing to happen to one of their places of worship. And so, what is the story of the Sinagoga Albastra and how long has it stood in such a condition? Are there any plans for it?

The very fact that it is little known and hidden from the eye of the average passer-by means that no noise has been made to defend and save the Sinagoga Albastra. If no one knows it is there and those that do are too few (or don't care) then it's hardly a surprise there has been nothing in the press, nothing on the television and none of the NGOs have taken up the cause... A true tragedy.

One thing is for sure: however abused it may be, it remains a stunning jewel in the crown of the beautiful city of Brasov. Just when I think I cannot possibly find anything more awe-inspiring than the sights I have already seen, another one appears. The Sinagoga Albastra is certainly one of the loveliest - and one of the very saddest.

The sadness of str Cameliei 38....

(Image: Povesti cu plimbari- November, 2011) The willful neglect of beauty and the determination to destroy Bucharest's patrimony never seems to let up... This once-gorgeous house stands close to Hala Matache in sector 1 and was built at the end of XIXc./ beginning of XXc. in architectural ecclectic style by an unknown architect. Those I have spoken to cannot remember it ever being anything but a ruin, growing progressively more dilapidated as years have passed. Certainly, nobody but gypsies have lived in it for at least the last decade. I have no idea who the owner is or was despite endless searches on internet, but one thing is clear - this house is living on borrowed time....

(Images below: Povesti cu plimbari - February, 2012) Both amazingly (though not amazingly at all if one knows both Bucharest and the way heritage is treated) and shamefully, str Cameliei 38 is on the register of historic monuments at position n° 573, last updated in 2010, code: B-II-m-B-18299. In 2009, a Certificat de Urbanism, signed by Sorin Oprescu, Gheorghe Patrascu and the General Secretary, Toma Tudor, appeared in view of allowing construction work to begin involving Berzei 111 and Cameliei 38-40... This document had a 12 month validity and I cannot find a more recent/updated version.

THIS PUZ (presumably also 2009?) tells us that indeed, str Cameliei 38 is private property and that the 'beneficiary' is one Corina Mihaela MIHAI currently living on Drumul Taberei. It is not clear, however, whether she is the owner or the acting party. The construction company is cited as S.C. Lora Construct S.R.L in jud. Giurgiu... The project planned for this land is a six-storey building comprising of apartments, offices and commercial space to be built on 1124,28mp. According to an article in Observatorul Urban Bucuresti from 13th January 2011, this PUZ was discussed at the Commission of Urbanism on 13th October 2010, but no final decision was taken due to further discussion required on the fate of the historic Hala Matache just around the corner.

Now that it has since been decided that Hala Matache will remain where it is, the fate of str. Cameliei 38 remains very much in the balance. The fact that it has a private owner means that if permission to demolish is given, there's nothing anyone can do about it. Usually, it is extremely difficult to have authorisation for the demolition of a historic monument, but as we have seen so often in Bucharest just lately, anything is possible. With the examples of Hala Matache, Casa Miclescu and a hoard of others left to rot and looted with plenty of encouragement from officials with self-interest, historic monuments are neither loved nor respected by the PMB, the owners, the Ministry of Culture and the Commission of Urbanism... In addition, the Berzei/Buzesti project still remains to be finalised - if the house is in the way, it will be demolished, along with all the others that have bitten the dust in the area over the last three years...

Clearly, if the owner does not have the money to restore it - and surely, if he did, he would have done so by now - then once again, we are looking at yet another hole in the ground before an eyesore appears in its place or the road planned for the area goes through it. The fact alone that a PUZ was put forward, perhaps in 2009, means that he wants to be rid of it... Looking at these photographs from Povesti cu plimbari, any kind of restoration would take nothing short of a miracle. The roof has gone along with the windows and doors and the elements have taken their toll. One can still imagine how lovely it once was, but, like Casa Miclescu, Visarion 8 and so many like them, this house no longer cries. It seems comatosed - beyond pain....

Should anyone have any further information on the history, background or plans for str. Cameliei 38, then please do not hesitate to let me know.

Update: I've just been told that the house was sold in 2010... by whom and to whom is unknown. There is nothing online, ie. no articles, no proof of sale etc, but then again, why would there be? This is a country where real estate is more under the table than above it... If it is now the property of the state, well, you know what happens next.... :( More news as it happens...

Many thanks to Ioana Rizea, author of Povesti cu Plimbari, for permission to publish her photographs.

The history of Casa Miclescu, bdul Kiseleff nr. 35-37, Bucharest and a new owner?

(Photo source: Reptilianul / Hasnas from Radu Miclescu's Archive)

My thanks to the dedication of Florina and the work by passionate bloggers for the following historic information of what used to be the very beautiful Casa Miclescu on bdul Kiseleff - Bucharest's most beautiful avenue. Today, Casa Miclescu looks as if it has been hit by an unimaginably vicious tornado. The roof is no more, allowing for snow to pile up in the once stunning ballroom where the painter Mirea lived and decorated the ceilings himself, doors hang off their hinges, windows smashed and frames splintered. It is hard to imagine how gorgeous, how luxurious it was and that anyone could have lived a life of class and elegance within its walls. But they did. Every Thursday, an elegant ball was thrown, attended by personalities of Romania's interbellum period - Cantacuzino, Brancoveanu, Sturdza, Greceanu... It was one of THE places to be and be seen during that Golden Era, now long gone.

This is the story of the Miclescu family, in particular, Colonel Radu Miclescu. And once you've heard it, your heart will weep all the harder for the lamentable state in which the house finds itself today, having known all that went on under its roof. Casa Miclescu is not one of the houses that 'cries'. Casa Miclescu literally screams in agony...

(Photo: Sandu Sturdza, Radu Miclescu, and his wife Elsa with their dog on the tennis courts at the back of the house. Source: Hasnas.com from Radu Miclescu's Archive with thanks)

(Photo: Elsa Miclescu on the staircase, Casa Miclescu. Source: Hasnas.com from Radu Miclescu's Archive with thanks)

(Photo: The salon, 1902. Source: Hasnas from Radu Miclescu's Archive with thanks)

This beautiful blogpost from Hasnas.com written in April 2009 captures Casa Miclescu as it once was - here, one can visit the Miclescu family - Elsa and Radu, their friends, the interior of the house from 1902-1948/9 (see photos above for just a few). It is a journey into another world - a world of beautiful dresses, dinners and elegance - now, sadly, gone forever. When one compares how it was with how it is, one can only cry with grief, indignance and rage. How could this have happened? How could such beauty have been so wilfully destroyed? How could the lives of such people have ended so miserably? The history of Casa Miclescu is almost a symbolic parallel of so much of Romania's own history - decency, intellectualism, beauty reduced to dust by the ignorant, the greedy and the indecent.

In January 1990, Colonel Miclescu filled out the documents to reclaim his house. He died in March 1990 at the age of 97 in the tiny room where he had been forced to live for 40 years. The great satisfaction was that he had survived Ceausescu and communism. Despite so much hardship, persecution, humiliation and suffering, he had lived long enough to see the end of both.

(Photo: Casa Miclescu, 2009. Source: Case care plang)

(Photo: Casa Miclescu - willful neglect, 2012. Source: Reptilianul)

Regarding the selling of Casa Miclescu to Titi Dumitriu, the author of the very informative blog Hasnas.com went to see Radu Miclescu at his home in Moldova. Here is what she told me: "Radu Miclescu was actually forced to sell the house. Both the house and the mansion in Moldova were still in "litige"/trial - and he was told that, if he insists on regaining this one, he will lose both. He was advised to sell the Kiseleff house, in trial as it was. So, the next day some deputy of the footballer appeared out of nowhere - and bought the house for less then 1/10th of the land's value... He also told me that the beautiful stables of the mansion were demolished just the day before he arrived, when he had already won back the property, just out of pure spite." What can one add. This is a lesser-known fact. I myself wondered why he had sold the villa to such an individual. Now we know and there's nothing left to say that is even vaguely printable.

(Photo: Beyond words - 2012 Source: Radulescu Victor Photography with thanks)

This letter was sent to the Minister of Culture on February 16th, 2011 regarding the demolition and destruction of Romanian patrimony, but nothing happened. Just look at all the buildings that are mentioned... Other letters addressed to Kelemen Hunor have since followed but with the same result: nothing.

There is news, however. A very surprising and optimistic comment on Reptilianul's blog appears on February 23rd, 2012 from a Herr 'Herbert'. A German citizen, he states that he himself bought the house in January of this year, and is waiting for the spring to assess the damage and decide whether or not it can be renovated.... He says, "Intentia mea este sa o pastrez si s-o renovez!" - wonderful, heart-warming news. Perhaps Titi Dumitriu, the previous owner, got fed up waiting for his efforts to destroy the house through blatently willful neglect to bear fruit and decided to get rid of it? Looking at the photos of the terrible destruction on Reptilianu's blog, along with those of Victor Radulescu, I pray there is something left to salvage so that renovation may indeed begin.

(Photo: Casa Miclescu 2012. Source: Radulescu Victor Photography with thanks)

Neither Florina nor I can find anything whatsoever on-line about the new owner of Casa Miclescu, nor indeed anything about the house having been sold. But spring has already arrived in Bucharest. May Easter, only a few weeks away, bring not only the light of the resurrection to every Romanian heart - but also to the very soul of Casa Miclescu and the spirits of all those who lived within its walls.

My thanks to Florina for her passionate research and to Reptilianul, Dorothee Hasnas and Radu Miclescu, Case care plang and Victor Radulescu for their photographs.

Message from Serban Sturdza, Pro Patrimonio condemning the destruction of Hala Matache. Please share.

The following message comes from Serban Sturdza condemning the (willful?) destruction of one of Bucharest's historic monuments, Hala Matache, earlier this month. We are asked to disseminate this message far and wide - particularly on an international level - to architects, journalists, members of the EUP and anyone else we can think of. My thanks to you in advance.

Şerban Sturdza,
Fundaţia ProPatrimonio

DISTRUGERE (VOITĂ ?) A UNUI MONUMENT ISTORIC,
ora 11, sâmbata 3 martie 2012
HALA MATACHE, BUCUREŞTI, ROMÂNIA

Eliberarea amplasamentului prin metode disimulate continuă în prima zi însorită după topirea zăpezilor din ultima perioadă, care ar fi putut prăbuşi acoperişul Halei Matache.
Monumentul istoric clasat sub codul LMI 2004 - B-II-m-B-18182, continuă să fie supus unei operaţii subversive de distrugere, care a început în anul 2011 sub privirile aparent indiferente ale Primăriei.

După ce şi-a însuşit clădirea prin cumpărare, Primăria tergiversează luarea măsurilor legale privind intervenţiile de urgenţă / necesitate care intră în responsabilitatea sa pentru protecţia patrimoniului din România în general, inclusiv pentru Hala Matache. Mai mult decât atât, distrugerile repetate care vizează prăbuşirea structurii metalice a acoperişului prin spargerea stâlpilor de susţinere din fontă, sunt ignorate atât de Proprietar, cât şi de Poliţia Patrimoniului, sau Poliţia Comunitară.

Comentariile în surdină, vehiculate de autorităţi, tind să învinuiască "ţigănia" din zonă, care operează în ascuns, însuşindu-şi astfel materiale de construcţie. Realitatea este cu totul alta: DEMOLAREA SE FACE CU SCOPUL DE A AJUNGE CU TÂRNĂCOPUL ÎN ZONELE SENSIBILE ALE CLĂDIRII, ADICĂ LA STRUCTURA PORTANTĂ FORMATĂ DIN STÂLPII DIN FONTĂ, CARE ESTE APOI DISTRUSĂ (vezi imaginile din data de 3 martie 2012).
Astfel, prăbuşirea Halei, aflată în prezent în stare de precolaps provocat va fi înregistrată ca o fatalitate, iar amplasamentul va fi eliberat fără a mai fi necesare formalităţi de declasare sau alte demersuri consumatoare de timp şi energie.

A învinui populaţia rromă care locuieşte în cartierul Matache de aceste acte de distrugere, este în cazul de faţă un subiect de diversiune, căci aici problema nu este legată de recuperarea materialelor şi vinderea lor, ci de distrugerea comandată a halei prin atacul punctual asupra elementelor sale vitale. Poziţia de victimă, pe care o adoptă din păcate Primăria Generală a Municipiului Bucureşti nu o absolvă de responsabilităţile pe care le are şi generează un climat de neîncredere care depăşeşte cu mult limitele cartierului Matache.

Vă rugăm respectuos să analizaţi fenomenul care se desfăşoară sub ochii dumneavoastră, ţinând cont că în această zonă s-au demolat, pierzându-se definitiv, alte 7 clădiri clasate în Patrimoniul Naţional al României.

Este aceasta o acţiune de regenerare urbană a unui cartier istoric sau o acţiune de slăbire a identităţii culturale a Bucureştiului?

SPRIJINIŢI ORICE INTERVENŢIE POSIBILĂ PENTRU SALVAREA HALEI MATACHE

AJUTAŢI PRIMĂRIA ORAŞULUI BUCUREŞTI SĂ-ŞI DEPĂŞEASCĂ INCAPACITATEA ŞI INERŢIA, PE CARE LE PLĂTIM CU TOŢII PREA SCUMP
FOLOSIŢI LEGĂTURILE INTERNAŢIONALE PENTRU SALVAREA PATRIMONIULUI ROMÂNESC.

Photo by Doina Vella, March 5th, 2012

Cine este Nicusor Dan?

Many thanks to Mihaela Mihaila for this translation into Romanian from the original article posted HERE dating from 1st December, 2011.

Today, with the news of the attempted demolition of Hala Matache (see post below HERE), Nicusor Dan is no longer a CHOICE for mayor of Bucharest, but a NECESSITY.

Please share, distribute and post. Nicusor Dan's name can no longer remain a whisper. The elections are in June - just around the corner - and, by now, EVERYONE should know the name of Nicusor Dan.

Once again,my thanks to Mihaela Mihaila for her excellent translation:

(Sursa fotografiei) Aud des această întrebare în ultima vreme, în ciuda faptului că-i face să tresară pe multi (mai ales pe bucurestenii preocupati de orasul lor).

Dr. Nicusor Dan, în vârstă de 41 de ani, este fondatorul asociatiei „Salvati Bucurestiul” si este presedintele acesteia de la înfiintarea ei, în 2008. Lucrează la prestigiosul Institut de Matematică al Academiei Române, are un doctorat în matematică si este un fost olimpic international la matematică (în 1987 si 1988). În 1992-95, a fost student la Ecole Normale Supérieure de Paris (detine un DEA in matematică, Paris XI); obtinându-si si doctoratul în matematică, în 1998 (domeniul de interes: geometria Arakelov), de la Universitatea din Paris XIII si a publicat trei cărti în domeniul matematicii.

Născut în Făgăras, Nicusor Dan a venit la Bucuresti ca student, cu putin înainte de revolutia din 1989 si a locuit în Grozăvesti. Pe vremea aceea, spune el, nu avea nici cel mai mic interes în arhitectură, nu privea niciodată în sus si nu era niciodată atent la fatadele clădirilor. Cât de mult s-au schimbat, însă, lucrurile! Primul protest public al lui Nicusor Dan a avut loc în 2006 si a fost îndreptat împotriva unui proiect initiat de fostul primar Videanu, care avea în vedere distrugerea unor clădiri de pe partea opusă a unei laturi a Ateneului Român.

Marti, pe strada Verona, dl. Nicusor Dan si-a anuntat candidatura pentru primăria Bucurestiului, în calitate de independent si cu un buget de zero Euro. Celor care au venit la lansarea campaniei sale le-a spus că nu are bani pentru campanie, însă este sprijinit de mai multe organizatii neguvernamentale. „Sper”, a spus el, „că oamenii se vor folosi de retelele de socializare pentru a-mi transmite mesajul”. Spre diferentă de alti politicieni care candidează la acelasi post, cum este si actualul primar Sorin Oprescu, care pretinde că este independent, dar este, de fapt, sprijinit atât de PSD, cât si de PNL (cu logistică si fonduri pentru campanie), Nicusor Dan este cu adevărat si cât se poate de independent: unde ar putea găsi o persoană „normală”, pe lumea asta, sutele de mii necesare pentru asemenea campanii? Si dacă e să fim cinstiti, de ce ar fi obligată să facă asa ceva? De ce n-ar putea orice om să candideze pentru primărie, dacă îi pasă pentru orasul în care trăieste?

Nicusor Dan consideră că are mai multe avantaje care-l pot ajuta să fie ales primar al Bucurestiului: mai întâi, nu este politician de nici un fel; apoi, este genul de persoană care are un mesaj cu totul diferit fată de ceilalti candidati. Este gata să intre în orice tip de dezbatere, cu oricine – si am văzut acest lucru în numeroase rânduri, de când a înfiintat „Salvati Bucurestiul”. Lui Nicusor Dan nu-i e teamă să spună lucrurilor pe nume. El pledează pentru legalitate si justitie si este, practic, o gură de aer proaspăt pentru Bucuresti, unde toti suntem obisnuiti numai cu politicieni corupti si care lucrează „pe sub masă”. Nicusor nu intră în tipologia de mai sus. Dimpotrivă: este un om onest, inteligent, cu bun-simt si viziune modernă. Lui chiar ÎI PASĂ de capitala României – si nu sunt multi ca el.

Programul lui include:

- prioritizarea transportului public, prin crearea de benzi dedicate pentru autobuze si tramvaie, limitarea parcărilor din centrul orasului – îmbunătătind astfel conditiile zilnice de trai pentru toti bucurestenii, din mai multe puncte de vedere, inclusiv din punctul de vedere al aerului pe care-l respiră;

- un program de preventie al efectelor cutremurelor: crearea unei hărti de riscuri seismice si întocmirea unor studii de vulnerabilitate seismică – furnizate GRATUIT de primărie;

- amenajarea lacurilor din nordul Bucurestiului si arealele proxime ca zone de agrement. Toate structurile ilegale vor fi demolate;

- aducerea unor oameni noi la primărie: un arhitect-sef dintr-o capitală străină (slavă Domnului! Mi se pare un lucru extraordinar.) si un director al departamentului juridic care va veni de la o firmă de avocati importantă. Nicusor Dan intentionează să ofere posturi prin concurs la primărie, pentru a atrage tineri care au studiat la cele mai bune universităti din străinătate. Personal, cred că asta va elimina nepotismul actual care domină primăria (si politica românească, în general).

Când a fost întrebat de ce vrea să candideze la functia de primar, a avut câteva replici excelente:

1) În 10 ani, s-au cheltuit 4 miliarde de euro pentru 30 de linii de metrou. Numai la capitolul arhitecturii peisagere s-a cheltuit 1 miliard de dolari – de cinci ori mai mult decât în Paris. O risipă totală.

2) Arena Natională a costat cu zeci de milioane de Euro mai mult decât Stadionul din Frankfurt, care este aproape identic.

3) În 20 de ani, s-au consolidat doar 13 clădiri din Bucuresti împotriva riscului seismic, iar jumătate din ceea ce se construieste în capitală la ora actuală este ilegal. Fundatiile a sase blocuri de câte 10 etaje, de exemplu, au fost construite pe marginea Dâmbovitei sau pe foste gropi de gunoi...

4) Un oras care nu reuseste să rezolve problema câinilor vagabonzi visează să organizeze Jocurile Olimpice...? În ciuda unui buget urias, investitiile realizate pentru încălzire au fost nesemnificative, iar cetătenii s-au trezit că trebuie să plătească cu 23% mai mult, din cauza pierderilor pe retea. Un oras care cheltuie 10 miliarde de Euro în patru ani este mai mult decât rusinos.

5) Sute de milioane de Euro au fost cheltuiti pe infrastructură, dar nimic nu a îmbunătătit problema circulatiei din Bucuresti, în ciuda podurilor si altor structuri de tot felul, care au fost construite fără nici o consideratie pentru sistemul de trafic rutier în general.

Când citesti aceste remarci, este clar. Avem în fată un om care vrea să le ofere o viată mai usoară locuitorilor unei capitale europene aglomerate si stresante. Vrea să ofere un sistem de protectie mai mare în cazul cutremurelor, ceea ce înseamnă că veti avea mai multă sigurantă si în casele dvs. Vrea să vă scutească de plata unor bani pe care i-ati dat până acum pe facturi de căldură inutile. Vrea să vă ofere un mediu în care să fiti mândri că trăiti: un mediu mai putin poluat, mai „verde” si plăcut ochiului, totodată. Vrea să oprească demolările ilegale ale clădirilor cu valoare istorică si arhitecturală si în acelasi timp, vrea să sisteze constructiile de pe amplasamentele respective, protejându-vă astfel drepturile de proprietari si chiriasi trăitori într-o atmosferă plină de potentiali „rechini” imobiliari – iar pe cei responsabili cu aceste ilegalităti îi va da în judecată. Vrea să vă scurteze deplasările la universitate si la serviciu, prin crearea unor benzi pentru autobuze si tramvaie, care să crească frecventa transportului public si să-l facă mai putin aglomerat si mai agreabil.

Acest om doreste să îmbunătătească viata din Bucuresti într-un mod în care nici nu ne putem imagina. Si chiar crede în ce spune. De unde stim asta? Pentru că este clar! Nu este politician – după cum afirmă el însusi. „Da”, o să spuneti, „dar ăstia întotdeauna mint si înfloresc lucrurile”. Da, asa este, dar el nu face asta. El nu urmăreste banii. Nu urmăreste faima. Trebuie doar să vă uitati la fata lui, ca să aflati asta. Vă spune cât se poate de deschis: nu am nici un ban – nici măcar pentru o campanie. Ideea lui de a-si face campanie stă în retelele de socializare. Vi se pare că are aerul unuia care se pricepe la politică? Nu! Ei bine, tocmai ASTA îl face diferit! Din ASTA vedeti că o să si facă ceea ce spune. Mai jos, puteti intra pe o serie întreagă de link-uri care trimit către articole legate de Nicusor Dan, care a militat în diverse momente pentru protejarea unui om nedreptătit, a unei clădiri demolate ilegal, intentând proces unor persoane si aducându-le în fata Curtii. Munca de-o viată a acestui om este de a proteja si a păstra.

Nicusor Dan a declarat ZF că dacă Oprescu nu va fi condamnat pentru infractiunile de care îl acuză Asociatia „Salvati Bucurestiul”, va renunta la cetătenia română. Personal, cred că ar recurge la acest gest pentru că nu s-ar mai simti în stare să trăiască într-o tară care infractorii nu sunt condamnati din cauză că sunt cineva anume si nu pentru că au făcut ceva reprobabil. Este un principiu cu totul opus conceptului de justitie si echitate al lui Nicusor Dan. Nu vi se pare un om bun? Mie, da.

Am citit si am auzit comentarii cum că „nu are sanse” – de la persoane care spun, în acelasi timp, si: „Ce drăgut ar fi!” Drăgut?! Ar fi de-a dreptul fantastic!! Si dacă toti cei care spuneti „nu are sanse” dar care vă gânditi că „ar fi grozav!” ati vota pentru el, atunci Nicusor Dan chiar AR AVEA o sansă. Ar avea o sansă IMENSĂ! Suntem în fata unei situatii gen David si Goliat. Eu îmi pun credinta în David. Este exact omul de care are nevoie Bucurestiul. Este exact omul de care AVETI dumneavoastră nevoie. Bucurestenii s-au săturat până peste cap. Ei bine, AVETI acest om; vă este oferit pe tavă, practic!! Acest om nu are nimic în buzunar cu care să-si construiască o campanie. Nu este politician. Este, în schimb, doctor în matematică: un om inteligent, cultivat, căruia ÎI PASĂ atât de mult, încât faptul că nu are bani nu este câtusi de putin important. VIZIUNEA lui este importantă. Si, spre diferentă de orice alt membru al Primăriei Municipiului Bucuresti (si fără îndoială, si al guvernului), el îsi va tine promisiunile – pentru că vi le face în calitate de student, de cetătean, de coleg, asadar, al fiecăruia dintre voi: ca unul din „noi”, nu unul din „ei”.

Un Bucuresti cu un primar care îl iubeste si îl ocroteste; care vă apără drepturile, care vă reduce cheltuielile, care va lua atitudine pentru omul din multime si care va munci din greu pentru a vă face vietile mai agreabile... de ce NU ar fi votat un astfel de om?!?

Cine e Nicusor Dan? Acesta e Nicusor Dan.

Dacă doriti să cititi mai multe în acest sens, vă invit să consultati următoarele surse:

Articole de Nicusor Dan în Revista 22

Nicusor Dan apără cauza zonei Berzei-Buzesti

Cine poate salva Bucurestiul istoric? - Observator Cultural

„Salvati Bucurestiul” luptă pentru capitală - Revista 22

Un matematician se luptă împotriva paricidului cultural al Bucurestiului - the Daily News

O nouă golănie urbanistică - Revista 22

ALERT!!!! Demolition begins at Hala Matache....?

(Photo source: Observatorul Urban) Very troubling news just in from the Matake cause site on Facebook (see also Arhi Forum HERE) - it appears, as reported by architect Raluca Munteanu, that demolition of Hala Matache began early this morning, perhaps even during the night. Two holes have been made on the south side which could lead to the collapse of the rest of the building at any moment. It's not exactly clear WHO is responsible for this (owners: PMB) since they vanished when cameras appeared to photograph what was going on.

It's possible that the damage has been done in the name of recuperating materials. The Piata Matache site promises to keep us up to date with news.

If you are in Bucharest with time to spare, please GO to Hala Matache and take as many photos as possible. Share them HERE, HERE and on as many sites as you can so everyone is able to see this shameful and illegal act of destruction.

Here is the message read this morning:

14h30: Further news via Facebook:

"The situation stands as follows: Oprescu has been in negotiation with civic organisations and architects to consolidate the hall (and others). As of today, the case of Hala Matache is more critical than ever - the hall has become a ruin through neglect (and obedience by certain members of the 'community' to the hall's owners) and no other solution remains than to start proceedings against the Mayor for failure to comply with the law concerning historic monuments (under which, he is obliged to keep it in perfect condition). It would be necessary 1) to have someone from Bucharest to administer this issue (both at a tribunal and the organisation of security guards etc); 2) to raise funds for costs incurred, ie. compensation costs, a project administrator, lawyer and a salary for the afore-mentioned security guards."

When one considers that in MOST capital cities across Europe, one wouldn't even be having this conversation, for civilised populations are greatly concerned by the preservation of their history and heritage, we arrive once again at the sad conclusion that officials in Romania have one objective - to deny its people the pride of their past, to eradicate sites and monuments of architectural and historical value - and to profit from every single demolition carried out for their own ends. This underlines also the perpetual lies, misinformation and intention to mislead the Romanian people at every turn. They refuse to abide by laws and legislation and refuse to respect their compatriots.

For recent news in the press before the above alert, see HERE (Ro.Lib, 21/02/2012), HERE (Piata Matache info site), HERE (Sarah In Romania 8/11/2011), HERE (Video by Camelia Csiki - TVR, November 2011) and HERE (EVZ 21/02/2012).

"Ekh! Rumania, Rumania, Rumania … Geven amol a land a zise, a sheyne."

(Photo source)

"Aaaaah, Rumania, Rumania, Rumania, Rumaaaaaaaaaaania!!!" As I worked this morning, the Barry Sisters (Claire and Merna Barry - originally Clara and Minnie Bagelman, born in the Bronx in a Yiddish-speaking home) came on the radio with their marvellous rendition of Aaron Lebedeff's ode (first recorded in 1925) to the country of my heart.

According to THIS site, "Aaron Lebedeff (1897-1958) was the Maurice Chevalier of the Yiddish stage and one of the top song-and-dance men of the Yiddish theater. A star of the Second Avenue theatre district for 16 straight seasons, his lively delivery of this sort of material is considered to be without peer. He penned many of his own songs both in English and Yiddish. His Yiddish lyrics were very idiomatic. One reviewer said they "virtually defied translation. . . with a humour that is difficult to render into English."

In Mémoires des Juifs de Roumanie (Chebana/Mercier Mure-Ravaud, p.22) it is described as a very popular folk-song sung by the Jews of Romania emigrated to Israel, heavy with great nostalgia for 'the good life' they had once known during the 'better' interbellum period and which omits any hint of the oppression forced upon them by the Romanian state prior to what was seen by many as this 'golden era'. Those who remembered this 'good life' (somewhat idealised), passed their memories through stories and songs such as this on to their children and grandchildren who, sooner or later, would forget the Romanian language and the 'beautiful Carpathian country'. Seen from that stand-point, the song is profoundly moving.

Completely distracted from what I was doing, off I went in search of a translation. Below, please find the Yiddish first, followed by an approximation (very) into English from Yiddish Songs and Lyrics, whereby most of the Yiddish humour is sadly lost - but never mind - you get the jist! Listen to the Barry Sisters HERE and the original HERE.

Enjoy!!

Rumania, Rumania (Yiddish)

Ekh! Rumania, Rumania, Rumania …
Geven amol a land a zise, a sheyne.
Ekh! Rumania, Rumania, Rumania …
Geven amol a land a zise, a fayne.
Dort tsu voynen iz a fargenign;
Vos dos harts glust kenstu krign:
A mamaligele, a pastramele, a karnatsele,
Un a glezele vayn, aha … !

Ay, in Rumania iz dokh git
Fun keyn dayges veyst men nit
Vayn trinkt men iberal -
M’farbayst mit kashkaval.
Hay, digadi dam …

Ay, in Rumania iz dokh git
Fun keyn zorgn veyst men nit.
Vayn trinkt men, s’meg zayn shpet
Men farbayst a kastrovet.
Hay digadi dam …

Oy, gevald, ikh ver meshige!
Ikh lib nor brinze, mamalige;
Ikh tants un frey zikh biz der stelye
Ven ikh es a patlazhele
Dzing ma, tay yidldi tam …
Ay, s’iz a mekhaye, beser ken nit zayn!
Ay, a fargenign iz nor Rumeynish vayn.

Di Rumeyner trinkn vayn
Un esn mamalige;
Ver es kisht zayn eygn vayb,
Ah, yener is meshige.
Zets, dzing ma, tay yidl di tam …

“Yokum purkon min shmayo”
Shteyt un kusht di kekhene, Khaye,
Ongeton in alte shkrabes;
Makht a kugel likoved Shabes.
Zets! Tay ti didl di tam …

Iz Myshe Khayim ongekumen
Dos beste kheylik tsugenumen;
Moyshe Khayim, Borukh Shmil -
Khapt a kitsl in der shtil.
Zets, dzing ma, tay yidl di tam …

Un dos meydl nebekh blozt zikh
Un zi vil nit, nor zi lozt zikh
Tshu!

Git tsu kishen iz a moyd
Ven zi is alt zekhtsn;
Ven men kisht an alte moyd,
Heybt zi on tsu krekhtsen.
Zets! Tay yidl di dam …
Ay, s’iz a mekhaye, beser ken nit zayn!
Ay, a fargenign iz nor Rumeynish vayn …

Romania, Romania (English)

Oh! Romania, Romania, Romania …
Once there was a land, sweet and lovely.
Oh! Romania, Romania, Romania …
Once there was a land, sweet and fine.
To live there is a pleasure;
Whate'er your heart desires is yours;
Mamaliga, pastrami, sausages,
And a glass of wine, aha … !

Ay, in Romania life's so good;
No one has a care in the world;
Everywhere they’re drinking wine -
And having a bite of cascaval.
Hay, digadi dam …

Ay, in Romania life is so good;
No one has a care in the world.
They drink wine, though it’s late;
And enjoy a plate of pickles.
Hay, digadi dam …

Oh, my, help, I’m going crazy!
I care only for cheese and mamaliga
I dance and leap to the stars
When I eat a patlazhele.
Dzing ma, tay yidldi tam …
What a pleasure, what could be better!
Oh, the only delight is Romanian wine.

Romanians drink wine
And eat mamaliga;
And he who kisses his own wife,
Is completely nuts.
Zets, dzing ma, tay yidl di tam …

“May salvation come from heaven … “
Stop and kiss the cook, Khaye,
Dressed in rags and tatters;
She makes a pudding for the Sabbath.
Zets! Tay ti didl di tam …

Moyshe Khayim comes along
And takes away the best part;
Moyshe Khayim, Borukh Shmil -
Tickle her on the sly.
Zets! Tay tidl di tam …

And the girl pouts, alas,
Seems unwilling, but allows it.
Tshu!

It’s good to kiss a lass
When she’s sweet sixteen;
If she kisses an old man,
She'll only grumble.
Zets! Tay yidl di dam …
What a pleasure, what could be better!
Oh, the only delight is Romanian wine …

(Okay, dreadful translation in English, I know, so pretend you can speak Yiddish, sing along with the words and ad lib to fade....!!!)

A moment with Andrei Codrescu

(Photo source) Andrei Codrescu, Romanian-born American poet, novelist, essayist, magazine editor, screen-writer, radio commentator and University Professor, was born Andrei Perlmutter in Sibiu in 1946.

Richard Collins writes, "When Codrescu left Romania at age nineteen, he by no means left his birthplace behind. Along with "the sensual pleasure of the sounds" of the Romanian language, Codrescu also internalised Romanian literary culture, both ancient and modern. Aside from his claim that he has not stopped telling the tale of Miorita (see later - Sarah's note), we may see in his chosen name of Codrescu the trace of another traditional Romanian verse form, the doina, which begins by addressing the forest [codrul] in the absence of other kinship."

In 1965, he left Romania for the United States, arriving in Detroit in 1966, became a naturalised citizen in 1981 and has been called “one of our most magical writers” by The New York Times. When asked of the circumstances of his departure by Frontline World, he replied, "My mother and I were part of a deal in the mid-60s between Romania and Israel. Israel bought freedom for Romanian Jews for $2,000 a head. Ceausescu made a bundle in hard currency. He also "sold" ethnic Germans to West Germany. Instead of going to Israel, my mother and I came to the United States. She had a fiancé here, and I was determined to write in English."

His first poetry book, License to Carry a Gun, won the 1970 Big Table Poetry award. He founded Exquisite Corpse: a Journal of Books & Ideas which states its purpose as catering to the "craven complexes of overeducated esthetes while also pleasing the autodidact lumpenproletariat" (huh?!) in 1983, and taught literature and poetry at John Hopkins University, University of Baltimore, and Louisiana State University where he was MacCurdy Distinguished Professor of English. He has been a regular commentator on NPR's All Things Considered since 1983, and received a Peabody Award for writing and starring in the film Road Scholar. That's some CV.

In 1989 he returned to his native Romania to cover the fall of the Ceausescu regime for NPR and ABC News which won him critical acclaim, and subsequently wrote The Hole in the Flag: an Exile's Story of Return and Revolution.

Back in 2002, the following interview took place (see the full interview HERE) between Andrei Codrescu and Frontline World. Here are some of my favourite extracts on topics in Romania at the time (and remain to be so ten years on):

On poetry and tyrants:

FW: As a teenage rebel, you had already started to write poems that could have landed you in jail had you stayed in Romania. Some poets you know became dissidents and revolutionaries. Still others wrote paeans to the dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu. What is it about poets and tyrants?

AC: Milan Kundera wrote a wonderful analysis of the duplicity of poets and the troubling relations between poetry and power in his novel 'Life Is Elsewhere'. His point is that poetry encourages irrationality and sentimentality and thus appeals to the least reasonable side of human beings. I have no quarrel with that, but then look what reason has gotten us: "scientific" Marxism, eugenics, materialism without borders. There has to be a balance between the -- granted -- unprovable yearnings of the human heart and the dictates of reason. In the past, tyrants have appealed to "reason," but they used court poets to charm the masses. Many dictators started writing poetry as students (Mao, Stalin, Ho Chi Minh) but later preferred killing poets instead. Romanians have a particular love for poetry and have a beautiful, vivid language.

On post-communist Romania:

FW: I like your description of post-communist Romania as a country where people, after four decades of totalitarian rule, "let out a great sigh of relief that has morphed into quickened breath, fits of anxiety, howls of agony -- a veritable caco(sym)phony." Describe some of the excitement, anxiety and pain you saw this trip.

AC: I saw a lot positive energy, sometimes quite surreal, in young entrepreneurs and artists. I saw also the unbearable misery of retired people who can barely survive on miniscule pensions. On the one hand, the cafés in the cities were full of young people with cell phones, the streets were full of color, the beaches were crowded with fine -- topless -- bodies, and villas under construction dotted the countryside. On the other hand, old folks crowded the churches hoping for a miracle so that they could eat.

Romania's youth culture:

FW: You told me about a Romanian punk group named Cold Stuffed Cabbage who sing an ironic anthem, "Cryogeny Will Save Romania," mocking famous "frozen" Romanians, including Dracula and Ceausescu. What do you make of Romania's youth culture?

AC: The young are Romania's best hope. They are not afraid, they don't whisper, slouch or hide. They are outspoken, in your face, and they will eventually replace the still-scared old folks. Families are pretty close, but attitudes are worlds apart between the old and the young.

On Vadim Tudor:

FW: Producer Jason Cohn, one of your colleagues, describes Vadim Tudor, the ultra-nationalist leader you interviewed, as a man who combines characteristics of Elvis and Hitler. Is he a buffoon? a threat?

AC: He's certainly a threat, but he's neither as magnetic as Elvis nor as evil as Hitler. He's more of a clown in the Zhrinovski mold. He'll say anything that comes to his mind, especially if it's shocking or outrageous, and enjoys the reactions. He does make a pretty good case against corruption and that finds a large audience. Unfortunately, he's mostly a populist demagogue. Nobody has any idea what he really thinks.

Democracy in Romania (bearing in mind this takes place in 2002):

FW: In your book about the 1989 revolution, The Hole in the Flag, you report that elements of the Old Guard stage-managed the overthrow of Ceausescu and found ways to insinuate themselves into the new order. How democratic do you find Romania today? Who's in charge?

AC: Good question. In my opinion, there are dozens of mini-mafias operating at every level of society. Some of them have achieved a modus vivendi, others are out only for narrow pieces of the pie. These people lie to everybody, including the monitors for the European Union, NATO, etc. They are giving Romania a reputation for untrustworthiness, alas. Happily, there are also extremely scrupulous and smart people who run various civic society projects, such as Ioana Avadani of the Center for Independent Journalism, terrific journalists, and graduates from Western universities who are going back and doing good work.

***

I first came across Andrei Codrescu with the publication of his Mioritic Space which appeared at the beginning of The Disappearance of the Outside - his "manifesto for escape" - where he gave his own version of the Miorita folk-tale. It is not so much a philosophical piece as the childhood experience of hearing the story at aged ten from "a thousand-year-old shepherd wrapped in a cloak of smoke." Faithful to oral tradition, Codrescu improvises on detail, but the changes lead him to add an apology to Romanian readers "pentru modul oarecum aproximativ in care am repovestit mitul Mioritei" ('for the approximate manner in which I’ve retold the myth of Miorita') when the book was translated into Romanian:

'One August evening in 1956, when I was ten years old, I heard a thousand-year-old shepherd wrapped in a cloak of smoke tell a story around a Carpathian campfire. He said that a long time ago, when time was an idea whose time hadn't come, when the pear trees made peaches, and when fleas jumped into the sky wearing iron shoes weighing ninety nine pounds each, there lived in these parts a sheep called Mioritza.

The flock to which Mioritza belongs is owned by three brothers. One night, Mioritza overhears the older brothers plotting to kill the youngest in the morning, in order to steal his sheep. The young brother is a dreamer, whose 'head is always in the stars.' Mioritza nestles in his arms, and warns the boy about the evil doings and begs him to run away. But, in tones as lyrical as they are tragic, the young poet-shepherd tells his beloved Mioritza to go see his mother after he is killed, and to tell her that he didn't really die, that he married the moon instead, and that all the stars were at his wedding[....] Before morning, the older brothers murder the young shepherd, as planned. There is no attempt to resist, no counterplot, no deviousness. Fate unfolds as foretold. The moon has a new husband, and the story must be known.

Mioritza wanders, looking for the boy's mother. But she tells everyone along the way the story as well. The murder was really a wedding, the boy married the moon, and all the stars were present [....] She never tires of the story. She laments the death of her beloved with stories of the origin of the worlds.

Her wandering takes her across the rivers of the Carpathian mountains to the Black Sea, a path that describes the natural border of Romania. Her migration defines the space of the people, a space the Romanian poet Lucian Blaga called 'mioritic.' Mioritza herself is the moving border of the nation, a storytelling border whose story is borderless and cosmic. She calls into being a place and a people that she circumscribes with narrative. She causes geography to spring from myth, she contains within her space-bound body the infinity of the cosmos' (Outside 1-2).

Richard Collins says, "Actually, Codrescu's version differs from the original only at a few points. First, Codrescu describes the shepherds as "three brothers"; in the original, the shepherd protagonist is from Moldavia (considered the "true" Romanian heartland), while the other shepherds are from Vrancea and Transylvania. In his own telling, Codrescu would have us identify the shepherd boy with himself (a Transylvanian Jew), and the others with his Romanian countrymen (Communists) who stole his heritage and inheritance. Second, in Codrescu's version the shepherd boy is also a poet, "a dreamer, whose 'head is always in the stars.'" This allows us, again, to sympathize with the visionary who has a connection to nature against the (dialectical) materialist brothers, for whom the fair Miorita is only property, so much mutton and wool to be sheared, divided and shared; for the poet-shepherd she is the voice of nature, his confidante and chronicler. Third, Codrescu’s poet-shepherd is "married to the moon," while in earlier versions the shepherd boy marries the daughter of a King at the entrance to a mountain (or, gura de rai, literally "the mouth of heaven," but actually a beautiful natural setting, like paradise), the sun and moon acting as godparents. The significance of these variants will become clear later, but what is certain is that Codrescu is making the poem his own, through these variants, for purposes of his thesis about the poet's role in the modern world. In either case, however, there is "no attempt to resist, no counterplot, no new deviousness. Fate unfolds as foretold."

As he remoulded his identity into that of an American poet, writes Collins, Codrescu cherished Blaga’s interpretation of the ancient poem of Miorita, transplanting it into the soil of American poetry and translating the myth into 'his new idiom'.

Andrei Codrescu is prolific to say the least. He has a vast body of work and a huge field of activities. Asked how he managed to do all that AND teach as well, he replied, "the higher your chair, the less you actually teach. I have a very high chair!"

In 2005 he was awarded the prestigious international Ovidius Prize (also known as the Ovid Prize), previous winners including Mario Vargas Llosa, Amos Oz, and Orhan Pamuk. Andrei Codrescu is also author of Whatever Gets You Through the Night: a Story of Sheherezade and the Arabian Entertainments (2011), The Posthuman Dada Guide: Tzara and Lenin Play Chess, (2009) and The Poetry Lesson (2010), all published by Princeton University Press.

For more interviews, please see Atelier LiterNet and EWR and check out his web-site HERE.