19 novembre 2009

The Burden of Responsibility

Please, please go read this article entitled The Burden of Responsibility. I would dearly like to copy/paste it here for you, but am unable due to copyrite.

15 novembre 2009

The Rogues Gallery

Dear Everyone,

I think it's about time we had a look at the motley crew of hopefuls waiting to receive your votes on 22 November. Is there any one party better than the others? A little more honest, maybe? Probably not. PNL would get my vote, hoping that Antonescu, once President of Roumania, would name Klaus as his PM. Now that, I think, would be a very good place to start.

Here's what Wiki said about the forthcoming race for supremacy:

There are 12 candidates of which 3 run as independents. The candidates of the major parties are:

the incumbent Traian Băsescu (pix 1, formally independent, but supported by PD-L),

Mircea Geoană (pix 2, PSD),

Crin Antonescu (pix 3, PNL),

Corneliu Vadim Tudor (no pix coz he's a toad, PRM),

Gigi Becali (no pix, Partidul Noua Generaţie - Creştin Democrat...I think there's a misprint. They do in fact mean Cretin Democrat)

Remus Cernea (Green Party)

Constantin Rotaru (Partidul Alianta Socialista)

Hunor Kelemen (UDMR)

Gheorghe-Eduard Manole and Constantin-Ninel Potîrcâ both independent

Mayor of Bucharest Sorin Oprescu (formerly PSD member) announced his candidacy as an independent candidate on 5 October 2009

Radu, Prince of Hohenzollern-Veringen, husband of Princess Margarita of Romania first announced his candidacy to the office of President on 9 April 2009, but later withdrew.

So, my question is this: is anyone going to vote this time? The Gallup Romania polls say that yes you are! Good for you! No white votes. I hate white votes. I was horrified to see that the thug, V.Tudor had 10% popularity...ugh! How the hell did that happen. Please get rid of Basescu (and make him face prosecution for his underhanded dirty dealings whilst trying to look so unconvincingly innocent). Please. Please.

Back to 1989

This is a wonderful programme by the marvellous World Affairs correspondent for the BBC, John Simpson, on twenty years since the fall of the Berlin Wall and all that followed as his reporting took him to East Germany, the Czech Republic and Roumania.

Please click here to listen to the radio programme (scroll down to the photo and hit the 'play' button - duration: 22 minutes). The text is just to set the scene. Thank you, BBC:

John Simpson Returns To 1989

Twenty years ago, on November 9th, the Berlin Wall came tumbling down.

The greatest symbol of the Cold War, which many never dreamt they would see disappear, was overwhelmed by people power. This momentous event precipitated largely peaceful revolutions across Eastern Europe as people shook off 40 years of communism.

The BBC’s Foreign Affairs Editor John Simpson, experienced it at first hand. The speed of what happened took almost everyone by surprise. In fact, it became clear that the opening up of the check points that night, allowing East Berliners across the barrier, happened by mistake.

John was travelling with the West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, in Poland at the time and like Mr. Kohl, he rushed to Berlin to experience and report on the euphoria. Soon it was the turn of Czechoslovakia to join in the tide of demonstrations sweeping across the Soviet Union’s European satellites. Once again John, who had reported on Czechoslovakia years before and become a target of the notorious secret services there, was able to see developments for himself.

A few weeks later he was back in Ceausescu's Romania, from where he had reported earlier in the year, giving a rare insight into this most closed of states. He was able to follow the demonstrators who stormed Ceausescu's Palace and in the chaos, even wrote one of his TV reports with the dictator’s own pen - handed to him by a 15-year-old demonstrator in Ceausescu's office.

Listen to John as he tells the story of 20 years of post-communist life. Through personal stories, he traces the different roads that East Germany, the Czech Republic and Romania have taken since 1989.

First broadcast on click BBC Radio 4 and aired on BBC World Service on 16 October 2009.

14 novembre 2009

Another white night in Bucharest

Dear Everyone,

Another white night in Bucharest tonight, proclaims the Bucharest Herald - this time, at the Art Gallery! With an effort to introduce and promote modernist Roumanian artists along with others from the Balkans, such as Marcel Iancu, Victor Brauner (who lived in Paris right next door to Georges Brassens) and Margareta Sterian (lived off bd. Dacia, I think - I remember passing her house) it promises to be worth the sleepless night. Excellent idea and wish I could pop in. No Magdalena Radalescu, though - a shame. She deserved to be far better known and widely admired.

This below from the Bucharest Herald (click to read in Roumanian) When you've read it, please scroll down for some examples of work on show.

New White Night at Art Museum, for Balkan avant-garde

Bucharesters will get a new “White Night” at the National Art Museum of Romania (MNAR) on Saturday, after the institution decided to extend the exhibition “Faces of Modernism. Painting in Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, 1910-1940” until 4 a.m. Access is free of charge.

The exhibit includes works by some of the most emblematic avant-garde painters from Bulgaria, Greece and Romania, important representatives of symbolism, post-impressionism, cubism, futurism, expressionism, surrealism or abstractionism.

Between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., the exhibition halls will come to life! A performance in the spirit of early 20th century avant-garde movements will be held: several of Bucharest's high school students will stage an original interpretation of the Dada Manifesto published by Tristan Tzara in Zurich in 1918, in the first and only issue of the magazine Cabaret Voltaire. The students will recite texts by authors such as Saşa Pană, Ion Vinea, Geo Bogza or Eugen Ionescu and will surprise the audience with unusual associations between painting and literature, illustrating the concept of picture poetry, as it was defined by Victor Brauner and Ilarie Voronca.

The exhibition includes over 120 paintings and drawings – 40 from each of the participating countries, and is structured in three large sections: A new modern vision (space, landscape, still nature), History in a modern vision (national identity, divine inspiration, echoes of ancient Greece) and Human presence in modern art (portraits, the human body).

The 18 artists chose to represent Romania include both famous names of the avant-garde (Marcel Iancu, Victor Brauner, Max H. Maxy, Hans Mattis - Teutsch, Jules Perahim, Corneliu Michailescu), and creators usually associated with less vehement artistic tendencies (Petre Iorgulescu-Yor, Margareta Sterian, Sabin Popp, Merica Ramniceanu).

“The project offers a more balanced perspective on the history of art in this part of the world… We are hoping that the results will be a better knowledge of the diversity and profoundness of cultural activities in an area perceived as ‘peripheral,’ by understanding the significance of modern art in defining European cultural identity,” said the coordinator of the project, Christos Carras.

__________________________________________________________________

See also article Faces of Modernism in Bucharest, The Panorama of an Era... by George Lucescu in OnCulture.eu

A must

Expoziția „Numitorul comun: Moartea”

11.11.2009 - 29.11.2009 Organizat de Institutul de Investigare a Crimelor Comunismului în România, Muzeul Naţional de Istorie a Transilvaniei din Cluj-Napoca, Fundaţia Konrad Adenauer şi Muzeul Ţăranului Român, cu sprijinul Projects Abroad şi al Consiliului Na&#

Institutul de Investigare a Crimelor Comunismului în România, Muzeul Naţional de Istorie a Transilvaniei din Cluj-Napoca, Fundaţia Konrad Adenauer şi Muzeul Ţăranului Român, cu sprijinul Projects Abroad şi al Consiliului Naţional pentru Studierea Arhivelor Securităţii prezintă expoziţia „Numitorul comun: moartea”, organizată în urma desfăşurării a 10 acţiuni de deshumare a unor opozanţi ai regimului comunist, executaţi de Securitate în perioada 1948-1952. În Bucureşti vernisajul expoziţiei va avea loc miercuri, 11 noiembrie, ora 17.00, la Muzeul Ţăranului Român (Sala Foaier), str. Monetăriei, nr. 3, publicul interesat putând să o viziteze în perioada 11-29 noiembrie 2009. Acţiunile de deshumare au fost realizate de către Institutul de Investigare a Crimelor Comunismului în România în perioada 2007-2009, în urma solicitărilor venite din partea rudelor şi urmaşilor celor morţi. Cazurile prezentate în cadrul expoziţiei cuprind un număr de 17 persoane executate, de regulă prin împuşcare, acestea fiind descoperite şi apoi deshumate prin metode arheologice pe teritoriul localităţilor Hălmăsău, Nepos (jud. Bistriţa-Năsăud), Glodghileşti, Băieşti (jud. Hunedoara), Odoreu (jud. Satu Mare), Teregova (jud. Caraş-Severin), Muşca, Sălciua şi Câmpeni (jud. Alba), Sântejude Vale (jud. Cluj). În locaţiile amintite, cei ucişi au fost îngropaţi fie în gropi individuale (Glodghileşti, Satu Mare, Băieşti, Sălciua, Câmpeni, Sântejude Vale), fie în gropi comune, cu două victime (Hălmăsău / locaţia 2, Teregova), trei victime (Nepos) sau patru victime (Hălmăsău / locaţia 1). Expoziţia cuprinde obiecte descoperite asupra celor împuşcaţi, fotografii (de familie, din arhiva fostei Securităţi, din timpul acţiunilor arheologice de deshumare) imagini video de la deshumări şi interviuri cu rude şi urmaşi sau cu anumite persoane care i-au cunoscut. Proiectul se adresează în primul rând elevilor de liceu, studenţilor, dar şi celor care au trăit în perioada comunistă însă ştiu prea puţin despre atrocităţile şi victimele directe ale Securităţii de la începuturile regimului comunist în România. Expoziţia a mai fost prezentată în Cluj-Napoca (21 octombrie - 8 noiembrie), urmând ca anul viitor să fie itinerată şi în alte localităţi din ţară, precum şi în străinătate. Pentru informaţii suplimentare: Cosmin Budeancă, şef Serviciu Muzee-Memorie Tel: 0728-040876, 0740-454916 Gheorghe Petrov, arheolog Tel: 0731440025

Rusine si lipsa de respect

This article just read in Jurnalul National:

CU BULDOZERUL ÎN BUCUREŞTI

Zone protejate, şantiere pentru blocuri-turn                                   

de Iulia Barbu
13/11/2009

            

Pe Strada Icoanei şi Dionisie Lupu, în ultimii ani, mai multe proiecte avangardiste şi-au făcut loc printre clădiri protejate. Două dintre cele mai ambiţioase îşi propun blocuri de 9 şi 14 etaje. Altele, mai puţin doritoare de publicitate, se mulţumesc cu etaje mai puţine. Au grijă însă ca terenul să fie ocupat în proporţie de 75%, procent aberant în cazul zonelor protejate.

Pentru clădirile vechi din zonele istorice ale Bucureştiului nu s-au găsit alte soluţii în afara unor proiecte ambiţioase de sticlă. Lăsate în ruină, ele devin oportunităţi pentru investitori. La numerele 11-13, pe Strada Icoanei se construieşte de zor. Mai greu cu criza, dar şantierul se găseşte în plină desfăşurare. Pentru început a fost demolat imobilul de la numărul 11, o casă banală, fără pretenţii de monument, cu o pată de istorie pe ea.

La numărul 13 însă, casa este "impunătoare, cu elemente de arhitectură care nu ar trebui să permită desfiinţarea ei din motive utilitariste", explică pe site-ul său Asociaţia Prietenii Şcolii Centrale (APSC). O dată cu demolarea de la numărul 11 au fost însă demarate lucrările pentru parcarea subterană a viitoarei construcţii.

"Proprietarul vrea să facă acolo un hotel de 4 etaje. De ce nu se mulţumeşte cu maximum 3? Ar putea să construiască un corp armonios, integrat în arhitectura interbelică a zonei, eventual, să mansardeze, dacă ţine neapărat să mai valorifice spaţiul şi poate ieşi un hotel foarte cochet, care să nu agreseze zona prin proporţii şi prin stilul strident. Tare ne-am dori ca omul să nu împingă valorificarea spaţiului până la capăt, să se gândească şi la factorul estetic care, până la urmă, va conta şi pentru viitori clienţi ai hotelului.

Construcţiile, la doi paşi de Biserica Icoanei şi Şcoala Centrală, nu sunt deloc binevenite într-o astfel de zonă. Încă un cartier istoric distrus!", argumentează membrii APSC.

HOTELUL "PROTEJAT"
Terenul din Strada Icoanei 11-13 este proprietatea lui Cătălin-Marian Cârjoi. Pentru suprafaţa generoasă, aceeaşi Hotărâre 136/2009 a Consiliului Local al Sectorului 2 prin care au fost consfinţite şi alte blocuri-turn, la numărul 10 pe ordinea de zi, era avizat şi Planul Urbanistic de Detaliu (PUD) pentru Icoanei 11-13. Acesta stabilea următorii indicatori: 2S+P+3E+4 retras. Zona protejată permite un maximum P+2.

Dincolo de faptul că înălţimea cerută de investitor nu este aberantă, proprietarul a avut grijă însă cu procentul de ocupare al terenului. Astfel că are un POT (Procent de Ocupare al Terenului) de 75%, într-o zonă în care acesta este de 50%. Aceeaşi situaţie se regăseşte şi la coeficientul de utilizare al terenului, care este la rându-i dublat.

Astfel că dedublarea tuturor indicatorilor rupe scara zonei, care nu are decât case şi blocuri antebelice/interbelice, iar o construcţie modernă de tip hotel nu se potriveşte ansamblului protejat. La fel ca şi în cazul altor PUZ-uri date cu generozitate în zonele protejate, ONG-urile de mediu au reacţionat şi cerut respectarea indicatorilor impuşi în perimetrul Grădinii Icoanei. Mihai Cristian Atănăsoaiei, prefectul Capitalei, a atacat în instanţă PUD-ul de la 11-13, reuşind să îl suspende automat.

Pe cale de consecinţă, autorizaţia de construcţie eliberată în baza PUD-ului odată suspendat devine ilegală. În ciuda acestui fapt, pe şantierul de pe Strada Icoanei se lucrează neîncetat din luna aprilie a acestui an.

NOUĂ ETAJE
Pe Strada Dionisie Lupu, la numerele 39-41, prin Hotărârea 136/27.11.2008, emisă de Consiliul Local al Sectorului 2, se aviza un PUD pentru o clădire de nouă etaje. Conform Legii urbanismului 350/2001, prin Planurile Urbanistice de Detaliu nu se poate schimba înălţimea maximă prevăzută în Planul Urbanistic General. Acesta prevede o înălţime maximă de 16 metri în zona delimitată de Strada Dionisie Lupu. Astfel că proiectul pentru Dionisie Lupu 39-41, care aviza o clădire de 37 de metri, este ilegal. În aceste condiţii, Inspectoratul de Stat în Construcţii a constatat imediat ilegalitatea PUD-ului din apropierea Parcului Ioanid.

ONG-urile de mediu au cerut anularea proiectului. Pentru moment, se pare că investitorul a renunţat la ridicarea celor 9 etaje din apropierea Bisericii Anglicane.


EXPLICAŢII
Potrivit Legii 52/2003 a transparenţei decizionale, PUD-urile cu toate avizele aferente trebuie publicate pe site-urile primăriilor de sector cu 30 de zile înainte de a fi aprobate. În realitate, acestea nu sunt accesibile nici măcar după ce au primit voturile consilierilor. În condiţiile în care tot mai multe clădiri vechi şi zone protejate au avut de suferit de pe urma lipsei de transparenţă decizională, ONG-urile de mediu i-au cerut prefectului Bucureştiului să rezolve problema.


Istoria de altădată
Strada Icoanei este inclusă printre zonele protejate de Legea monumentelor, fiind "ţesut rezidenţial tradiţional tipic - unicat, cu un fond construit de valoare arhitecturală ridicată. Gradul de protecţie este maxim - se protejează atât valorile arhitectural-urbanistice, istorice, cât şi cele de mediu natural în ansamblul lor: trama stradală (n. red. - Stradă), fondul construit, caracterul şi valoarea urbanistică. Sunt permise numai intervenţiile care conservă şi potenţează valorile existente".

Primele informaţii despre Lacul Icoanei şi schitul călugărilor de la Muntele Athos (Schitul Darvari) datează din secolul al XVII-lea. Pe atunci, zona se numea mahalaua ceauşului David. Dar cele mai multe date sunt despre Biserica Icoanei, de care se leagă întreaga istorie a mahalalei. Aceasta a devenit cunoscută când Constantin Brâncoveanu a dăruit bisericii o icoană a Maicii Domnului, făcătoare de minuni, datată din 1682. Băbenii, Odobeştii, Polizu, Urdăreanu, Tâmpeanu se numără printre ctitorii bisericii.

Prima biserică a fost construită din lemn de David Ceauşul, apoi între 1745-1750 este edificată din zid de boierul Mihail Băbeanu şi refăcută mai târziu de Panait Băbeanu. Biserica Icoanei a fost complet restaurată în 1873 de arhitectul Al. Orăscu. În curtea bisericii au fost ridicate în timp chilii şi un azil pentru săraci, bolnavi şi nebuni. Cum era obiceiul vremii, pe lângă biserică funcţiona şi o şcoală. La începutul secolului, Lacul Icoanei şi Grădina Ioanid reprezentau un loc de plimbare pentru locuitorii Bucureştiului.

Constantin Bacalbaşa spunea că era o "grădină de margine de oraş, unde se făceau petreceri, unde mergea lumea să chefuiască, unde se întâlneau amorezaţii şi unde cântau printre tufişuri lăutarii". Primele lucrări de sistematizare a zonei au avut loc în 1872, când Primăria a încheiat un contract cu Anton Westelly pentru amenajarea unei grădini pe maidanul Icoanei. Această lucrare a fost terminată în 1875 şi a inclus şi desecarea bălţii.

Din 1886, în timpul primarului Em. Protopopescu Pache, începe să circule prin această zonă tramvaiul numărul 8, care mergea de la Oppler în Teilor, pe traseul: Fabrica de bere - Izvor - Mihai Vodă - Belvedere - Brezoianu - Renaşterii - Ştirbey Vodă - Francklin - Nicolaie Golescu - Alexandru Lahovari - Armaşului - George C. Cantacuzino - Romană - Teilor.

Procesul de sistematizare a zonei a fost grăbit de construirea între 1889-1891 a Şcolii Centrale de fete, operă a arhitectului Ion Mincu. Statuia lui G.C. Cantacuzino a completat piaţeta în anul 1904, fiind realizată de sculptorul francez G. Dubois. Între 1909-1910 este tăiată porţiunea Bulevardului Dacia, dintre străzile Polonă şi Aurel Vlaicu, care se numea atunci Bulevardul Nou. Cu această ocazie, primarul Vintilă Brătianu a hotărât deschiderea Străzii Dumbrava Roşie, lărgirea Străzii Polone, amenajarea Pieţei Spaniei şi continuarea deschiderii Bulevardului Dacia, arteră ce urma să unească Gara de Est cu Gara de Nord.

Urmând ca de-a lungul acesteia, în parte şi pe loturile parcelate din fosta Livadă Ioanid, delimitată între străzile Polonă, Dumbrava Roşie, Aurel Vlaicu şi Bulevardul Dacia, să se construiască un ansamblu de 25 de reşedinţe luxoase dispuse în jurul unui parc public. Imobilele sunt operele celor mai importanţi arhitecţi ai epocii: Petre Antonescu, Ion D. Berindey, Ion I. Berindey, Grigore Cerchez, E. Doneaud, O. Mausgh, Paul Smărăndescu, Dimitrie Hârjeu, Jean Monda, Tiberiu Niga şi Horia Creangă.

În Bucureşti, fiecare cartier are personalitatea lui, specificul lui. Prin ambianţa agreabilă şi consistenţa sa urbană, zona Icoanei - Ioanid a reuşit să asimileze varietatea referinţelor sale stilistice.

By Simina Stan

And below, also from Jurnalul National, how being part of Gheorghe Dinica's funeral yesterday seemed to also involve the trampling of nearby gravesides, amongst which, those of Maria Tanase, George Calboreanu and Grigore Vasiliu-Birlic ...rusine inca o data:

LA ÎNMORMÂNTAREA LUI GHEORGHE DINICĂ

"Nu mai aduceţi copiii la cimitir, duceţi-i la teatru!"

Christian Silva | Jurnalul Naţional

Oamenii s-au îmbulzit să-l conducă pe ultimul drum pe marele Gheorghe Dinică la Cimitirul Bellu. Maestrul odihneşte acum pe Aleea Artiştilor, în apropierea aleii care deja îi poartă numele

de Anca Nicoleanu
13/11/2009 (Actualizat 18:59)

 

Maestrul Gheorghe Dinică a fost înmormântat cu onoruri militare la Cimitirul Bellu. Sute de oameni s-au înghesuit să-l conducă pe ultimul drum, călcând în picioare mormântul Mariei Tănase şi pe cel al lui Grigore Vasiliu-Birlic.

Lume pestriţă se strânsese în foaierul Teatrului Naţional, înainte ca slujba religioasă să înceapă la căpătâiul maestrului Dinică. Colegi, prieteni, cunoscuţi, admiratori, gură-cască. Televiziunile transmit la foc continuu. "I-am prins pe toţi, şi pe Zamfirescu, şi pe Moraru. Am trei casete deja", dă raportul un reporter prin telefon. Mircea Albulescu e vizibil deranjat de bliţul unui fotograf. "Ne dă iar la ziar", zice mai mult pentru sine. "Caramitru!", îşi dau coate două plasatoare când îl văd apropiindu-se pe directorul Teatrului Naţional.

"Hai că intri la gardă", îl zoreşte cineva şi îi întinde o banderolă neagră să o pună pe braţ. Colegii maestrului îl veghează pe rând la căpătâi. Din boxe se aude o muzică funebră. "Doamna Gabi ar fi vrut să pună cântecele domnului Dinică, dar nu i-au dat voie", îmi şopteşte cineva din apropierea familiei. Foaierul e tapetat cu jerbe, coroane şi buchete de flori. Ion Iliescu îşi aduce ultimele omagii. "Precis apare şi Băsescu, la cât SPP mişună pe aici", spune cineva.

Oamenii se îngrămădesc deja în foaierul care devine neîncăpător. Printre ei, bărbaţi cu copii în braţe, garderobiere de la Buftea, două lucrătoare de la REBU, cerşetori. Un tânăr care se sprijină în cârje se plimbă printre privitori. "Am venit la toate înmormântările actorilor", îmi spune. Îl întreb de ce: "Pentru că e dureros", spune şi zâmbeşte bolnav. Din capătul scărilor, un bărbat fotografiază catafalcul. Comportamentul celor din jur te face să crezi că aplecarea spre morbid a naţiei ăsteia nu va dispărea niciodată.

Colegii maestrului, actorii, îşi feresc cu greu feţele plânse de camerele televiziunilor şi de bliţurile fotografilor, care nu vor să "ierte" nimic.

Tinerii actori din "Aniela" vin în mod organizat şi se aşază de-a dreapta sicriului. Cei de la Acasă TV pregătesc cele creştineşti pentru slujba ce urma să înceapă: coliva, prosoapele, lumânările. "Trustul PRO a plătit serviciul funerar, maşinile...", îmi spune cineva. Lângă mine, doi bătrâni analizează rugăciunea "Tatăl Nostru": "Se spune vie împărăţia ta, nu fie împărăţia ta". Reporteriţa de la PRO TV, cocoţată pe o ladă de echipament video, transmite de lângă catafalc, anunţându-şi telespectatorii că slujba religioasă de la căpătâiul "zeului" Dinică e în plină desfăşurare.

"Limba română nu poate oferi atâta bogăţie câtă a oferit culturii române Gheorghe Dinică... Nu ducem la cimitir un om oarecare, ci ducem un geniu", a rostit Ion Caramitru. "Acum a ales nemărginirea. Va fi întâmpinat de colegi şi prieteni ca Amza şi Tapalagă, Florin Scărlătescu, Bibanu' şi Caragiu, Cotescu, Cozorici, George Constantin şi Ştefan Iordache. Toţi suntem făcuţi din ce sunt visele făcute. Iar cercul strâmt al vieţii noastre e înconjurat de somn. Somn uşor, Gigi Dinică!", i-a spus şi Marin Moraru, fratele de suflet al maestrului.

Tinerii bărbaţi din "Aniela" îl ridică pe umeri pe maestru şi-l poartă spre ieşire. Minute în şir, sutele de oameni din faţa teatrului aplaudă. O tânără plânge tăcut, încercând să-şi ferească privirea.

La cimitir, mulţimea aştepta cocoţată pe cavourile din jurul locului în care maestrul Dinică avea să-şi doarmă somnul de veci. Mormântul Mariei Tănase, al lui Birlic şi al lui George Calboreanu erau călcate în picioare de zeci de oameni. O bătrână, care ar lua de guler un tânăr aşezat pe un scaun în tramvai, se urcase pe o cruce, să vadă mai bine. "Ce gardă are! Or să tragă artificii!", vorbeau doi cetăţeni, în timp ce Garda de onoare îşi ocupa poziţiile pentru un ultim onor domnului Dinică.

De pe cavouri, oamenii filmează cu telefonul mobil cortegiul ce se apropie şi scurtul ceremonial militar ce urmează. Familia maestrului îşi face loc cu greu prin mulţime. "Gata, nea Gigi, asta a fost!", spune un bărbat, în lacrimi, în timp ce aplaudă. Lângă noi, nişte copii, de mână cu bunicii, întreabă ce se întâmplă. O femeie murmură cu tristeţe: "Nu mai aduceţi copiii la cimitir, duceţi-i la teatru!".

"Să ne amintim cât de important a fost teatrul românesc în vremuri de restrişte. Dinică face parte din această familie excepţională, de purtători de speranţă. Moştenirea lăsată de Dinică este opera lui. De la el se închide un ciclu şi începe altul. Nu ducem acum la cimitir un om oarecare, ducem un geniu"
Ion Caramitru

"Gheorghe Dinică a fost dăruit cu harul profesiei... Acum a ales nemărginirea, va fi întâmpinat de colegi ca Amza, Tapalagă, Ştefan Iordache. Toţi suntem din ce sunt visele făcute. Iar cercul strâmt al vieţii noastre e înconjurat de somn. Somn uşor, Gigi Dinică!"
Marin Moraru

12 novembre 2009

The plundering of Baneasa... Truth will out

Dear Everyone,

We knew it but no-one would write it. Bravo Nine O'Clock! So, now what? We can't bring back the beautiful forests destroyed in the name of greed....

Cotidianul: Basescu liable to arrest in another case

published in issue 4558 page 3 at 2009-11-12

In September 2001, the General Council of the City of Bucharest (CGMB) approved the biggest rip off ever in Romania, “Cotidianul” wrote in its edition of yesterday. The Zonal Urban Plan (PUZ) for Baneasa area, voted by the general advisers of Bucharest, allowed subsequently the plundering of the patrimony of the Agronomical University, which conceded 200 ha of land at under-evaluated prices, and the construction of malls, office buildings and luxury villas for the benefit of the group of firms coordinated by the businessman Gabriel Popoviciu. The PUZ was submitted to CGMB for approval by the mayor general Traian Basescu, the person who endorsed the project and signed the preamble, without taking into account the fact that they abounded in illegalities, according to the publication.

The preamble through which Basescu convinced the advisers to approve the illegal construction of malls, hotels and luxury villas on the agricultural land used for didactic purposes by the University of Agronomy violates the legal provisions. According to the documents quoted by the daily, PUZ beneficiary is SC Trination SA, member of the group of interests chaired by Gabriel Puiu Popoviciu. The first abuse: the owner of the land at that time was the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, and the land was intended by law for didactic activities in the agricultural domain. At the beginning of the year, the prosecutors started an inquiry against Popoviciu, the former president of the university and other former officials in connection with the acquisition of the land of 220 ha at a much under-evaluated price.

Basescu stood up for Popoviciu right in the period of the investigations when he asked rhetorically which was the fault of a man who invested one billion EUR. Questioned about his possible involvement in the deal, Basescu reacted aggressively: “Have you seen any affair in which my involvement is not mentioned? Ask clearly. Where have you seen my name mentioned in this affair?”

The inquiry regarding the real estate affair from Baneasa has been pushed into the shade after the liberation of the businessman Popoviciu from arrest. The prosecutors decline to offer details regarding the evolution of the case, ‘Cotidianul’ adds.

by Nine oClock

See also Ziare.com and Antenae 3 for more...Huh! And just think that they won't consider Klaus because he was working for a year at the same time as being mayor, supposedly. Peanuts in comparison to this outrageous destruction of ecological beauty. Time to go, Mr. Basescu. Go get your coat... That was one dose of spaga too many.

West Haven, CT

11 novembre 2009

Gheorghe Dinica - loved by everyone

A sad and heartfelt farewell to this wonderful and much loved actor. It has been a tragic year for Roumanian theatre indeed. The following from Yahoo News:

Gheorghe Dinica, well known Romanian actor, dies

By ALISON MUTLER, Associated Press Writer – Tue Nov 10, 12:17 pm ET

BUCHAREST, Romania – Gheorghe Dinica, a Romanian actor who delighted his country by portraying characters such as villainous politicians and defiant Gypsies in dozens of plays and movies, died Tuesday. He was 75.

Dinica, famous throughout Romania, died at Floreasca Hospital in Bucharest from pneumonia with complications, said hospital spokesman Dr. Bogdan Oprita.

Dinica began his long acting career with a role in a Romanian film version of Albert Camus' "The Stranger" in 1963. He went on to perform in many Romanian and foreign movies, soap operas and plays, right up until his death.

In 2007, he acted in Francis Ford Coppola's "Youth Without Youth" movie. He also joined French actor Anthony Delon in the film "L'Homme Press" in 2005. He said he was never tempted to act in movies produced in the United States.

"I am not Robert de Niro. I am from Romania," he said.

Still, some called Dinica "the Robert de Niro of Romania," given his resemblance to the American actor.

Romanians admired him for his wide repertoire and his singing, but also because of his modesty, humor and his refusal to praise the country's late Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, as some artists had done.

"I was lucky because my face didn't look that good on television," he said.

Dinica frequently thrilled Romanians by spontaneously breaking into song at Bucharest restaurants where he was dining.

Marcel Iures, another well-known Romanian actor, said of Dinica: "We worked together, we acted and we laughed together."

"He was an angel all his life," Iures said on Realitatea TV.

Romanian actor Florin Zamfirescu said: "He was loved by everyone: directors, actors and the public, men and women alike. On stage, he was like a fish in water."

Upon receiving news of Dinica's death, Romanian President Traian Basescu called the actor "a model of humanity, modesty and generosity."

Dinica acted in comedy and drama with equal aplomb, and was best known on stage for his role in the seven-year production of the play "Take, Lanke and Cadar," a 1933 dry Romanian comedy by Victor Ion Popa about three friends — a Jew, a Christian and a Turk — who run modest shops in the same area.

In his last two years, Dinica starred in "Regina" and "Heart of a Gypsy," two soap operas about Gypsies, a minority in Eastern Europe that faces widespread discrimination. They also are known as Roma.

He also starred in "Aniela," a Romanian period play that came out this fall.

Dinica, who was born in Bucharest in 1934, was awarded several prizes in Romania during his life, including the Faithful Service Order in 2008 by Basescu.

Dinica is survived by his wife, Gabriela Georgeta Dinica, whom he married in 1996.

No funeral plans were immediately announced.

Plesita finally kicked the gâleata - and good riddance

This news comes late and it looks as if I am the very last to know. Why didn't you guys tell me? What am I talking about, you ask....the death of the wicked, evil ex-Securitate chief, Plesita, has cheered me up no end...but how disgusting to imagine that his pension was 6 (some say 10) times higher than the average ($2,250 which he said was well deserved after all he had done for his country), that he continued to live in the villa bestowed on him by Ceausescu and while his old victims were still dealing with his cruelty (he dragged Paul Goma around prison by his beard before beating the life out of him) he was living a very comfortable life, thank you very much. Just goes to show that the old adage is pretty accurate - the devil looks after his own. This slug made it to 80 years old...and by Roumanian standards, that's almost a fossil. This was the scumbag, the slime, who ordered the beating up of Monica Lovinescu in Paris, leaving her for dead in her stairwell. His biggest failure was not killing Ion Pacepa, of course. One of Roumania's biggest failures was allowing this sleazeball to continue breathing at all. 

This from The Seattle Times, of all places - and my apologies for such tardiness.

Feared Romanian Securitate chief Plesita dies

Gen. Nicolae Plesita, a die-hard Communist and ruthless chief of the Securitate secret police who arranged shelter in Romania for terrorist Carlos the Jackal, and was tried for the bombing of Radio Free Europe has died, news reports said Wednesday. He was 80.

By ALISON MUTLER

Associated Press Writer

BUCHAREST, Romania —

Gen. Nicolae Plesita, a die-hard Communist and ruthless chief of the Securitate secret police who arranged shelter in Romania for terrorist Carlos the Jackal, and was tried for the bombing of Radio Free Europe has died, news reports said Wednesday. He was 80.

Plesita died Monday in Bucharest in a Romanian Intelligence Service hospital, where he was being treated for various illnesses including diabetes, the Agerpres and Mediafax news agencies reported, citing family members. Radu Chirca, a city hall official in Plesita's hometown of Curtea de Arges said he would be buried there later Wednesday.

Iulian Vlad, the last Securitate chief, and several other former Securitate officers attended Plesita's funeral, Realitatea TV reported. Agents of the current Romanian Intelligence Service stopped reporters and others from attending the funeral, citing the family's wishes.

Plesita commanded the Securitate's foreign intelligence service from 1980 to 1984. He gained notoriety for his contacts with Venezuelan-born terrorist Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, known as Carlos the Jackal.

Ramirez was hired by the Securitate on the orders of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu to assassinate Romanian dissidents in France and bomb the Radio Free Europe offices in Munich in 1981. Nine people were injured in the attack on the Munich-based radio station, which broadcast into communist Eastern Europe.

In 1998, Plesita told court prosecutors that Ceausescu had ordered him to find temporary shelter for Ramirez in Romania after the bombing. Ceausescu sold arms and explosives to Ramirez and enabled him to produce counterfeit passports and driver's licenses, Romanian media reported.

After the 1989 anti-communist revolt, Plesita faced a military trial in Romania for being an accomplice in the Radio Free Europe attack, in which nine people were injured. The trial was interrupted several times and he was eventually found innocent earlier this year.

In post-communist Romania, Plesita continued to attract attention with his revelations from the Communist period, and showed no remorse for having crushed anti-communist dissent.

Several times, he described how he beat up dissident writer Paul Goma and dragged him around Securitate cells by his beard. In 1982, when Plesita was head of the Securitate's foreign intelligence service, a Securitate agent attempted to poison Goma, who was in exile in France, but the attempt failed.

In an interview in 1999, Plesita said Ceausescu had enjoyed "special relations" with late French President Francois Mitterrand and gave him at least $400,000 for his presidential campaign in 1981.

Plesita's public appearances and relaxed manner were accepted in post-communist Romania partly because many former high-ranking Securitate officers still have key positions in politics and business.

After communism ended, Plesita continued to live in a villa in Bucharest reportedly given to him by Ceausescu. Last year he had one of the highest state pensions in Romania, 6,500 lei ($2,250) a month - more than six times the average.

Born April 16, 1929, Plesita was recruited to the Securitate as a teenager and rose in the ranks after he helped eradicate the last vestiges of anti-communist resistance in the Transylvanian mountains in the late 1950s. In 1977 he helped stifle striking coal miners in the Jiu Valley whose unrest posed a threat to Ceausescu.

It was after this that he was promoted to head foreign intelligence. A committed communist, Plesita was a harsh critic of Gen. Ion Pacepa, a top ranking Securitate officer who defected to the United States in 1978. Ceausescu hired Ramirez to assassinate Pacepa but he failed.

(This version CORRECTS second reference to Carlos the Jackal throughout, to Ramirez sted Sanchez.)

Please see this site for more information, at Plesita - May He Not Rest In Peace - an excellent post.

09 novembre 2009

From Croitoru to Negoita?! Oh purleez...

And so, the plot thickens...as predicted, Negoita is named PM...or rather, was. On Friday. The following from Hotnews:

Liviu Negoita is the new designated Prime Minister

de Alina Neagu, transl/adapt. C.B. HotNews.ro

Vineri, 6 noiembrie 2009, 13:33 English | Top News

Liviu Negoita, premierul desemnat

Foto: Rompres

Liviu Negoita was designated PM on Friday by president Traian Basescu, after final consultations with the political parties. Liviu Negoita is a member of the Liberal-Democratic Party (PD-L) and mayor of Bucharest's third sector. He announced that he would start negotiations for formation of a majority that would support the future coalition he'll be forming.

"Liviu Negoita announced that negotiations would last three days. The list of the new Cabinet would be sent to Parliament on Friday.

"I am open to the political forces in Parliament bearing in mind they have declared interest in adopting state budget", the designated PM said.

Traian Basescu's statements after meeting parliamentary group reps:

• PNL wants a government of technocrats led by Klaus Johannis.

• PSD wants a government of technocrats led by Klaus Johannis.

• UDMR backs a government led by Klaus Johannis, formed by technocrats and politicians.

• The national minorities propose a government headed by Klaus Johannis, formed by politicians.

• An equidistant proposal has been made, namely for the current government to remain in place until after the elections, but at the consultations we decided not to name the source of the proposal.

• PD-l backs the idea of a political government, which will assume political responsibility for getting over the difficult moment at the end of this year.

• The independents' group had a different position, who announced they will back any government that will manage the country's problems correctly.

• In my opinion, it is concerning that the majority prefers a government of technocrats. This creates the risk of this government to exist only for a certain period, a service government, used until we solve our problems.

• Romania needs a PM that is not to be trifled with.

• I decided to nominate Liviu Negoita.

• Liviu Negoita won the local elections with 80% of the votes, so he has the population's support.

PNL, the first party to come out of the consultations - Cotroceni does not understand that it cannot name a PM without parliamentary majority

PNL vice-president Ludovic Orban:

• Ten days ago, a PSD-PD-L was invested, which was presented as Basescu's dream.

• After an unmatched economic crisis, a political crisis has been triggered by the war between PSD and PD-L for the Interior Ministry.

• PNL leader Crin Antonescu found a solution to the political crisis, proposing a PM that gathered a parliamentary majority of almost 70%: Klaus Johannis.

• We expect the president to designate Klaus Johannis.

• Traian Basescu wanted to know where the parties stand, but this remains unchanged: PSD, PNL, UDMR and the minorities back Klaus Johannis.   

Except for Emil Boc, the PD-L leader, no other party leader took part in the consultations, since they were engaged in other activities across the country."

Back to me again. So, everyone wants Klaus Johannis. Sounds good to me. Call me stupid, ignorant and whatever else you like, but if everyone wants him, why can't they have him? The elections begin with the first round on 22nd November. Why not simply cut a long story short, hit two birds with one stone and have him there as acting PM until the big change arrives. The likelihood is that Crin Antonescu will win, become Roumania's next prez (and a good thing too) since he's by far the best of the bunch and he will call Johannis as his PM as sure as eggz is eggz...so wouldn't it just save time and a whole load of fuss?????!!!!

Comments please.

Love Sarah still in the Nutmeg State

08 novembre 2009

PM position impossible for Johannis?

More intrigue in Roumanian politics...it seems that Klaus Johannis, the prominent mayor of Sibiu who has certainly become our favourite as the new PM, cannot take the helm even if he were to be elected. Why? Because an investigation run by EVZ shows that during his first term as mayor, Johannis was also manager of a company for a year, although the law does not allow mayors to take a leading position in a commercial firm.

How ridiculous. Since when was Roumanian politics that scrupulous, and anyway, someone show me a politician in government today without a single stain on his career, a single question mark and I shall gladly eat humble pie. What the heck is going on here? When there is a president who made one of his daughters secretary whilst the other not only managed to obtain a million euros in the space of a year but also managed the mysterious acquisition of an apartment at Baneasa that was entirely illegal, how can one possibly say Johannis has committed an illegality...we won't even go into detail concerning what the Prez's brother has been up to lately, nor how Basescu sniggers horribly whenever he mentions God...ugh...and Johannis is chucked out of the ring for such a low and unimportant fumble of an excuse? Of cooooooooooooourse! Negoita is the favourite, I'll bet!

Johannis, don't let'em grind you down! Up with PNL!!!

Bucovina - World Heritage

Thank you NYT for the article below:

NYT: Bucovina, the place where art and faith embrace

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The Bucovina region in the far north of the country, wrote the Romanian scholar Silviu Sanie, is “one of those blessed realms where sacred and secular monuments have enriched the enchanting natural landscape,” New York Times writes in an extensive feature story on the Romanian region.

“During a recent week’s stay, I found this description remarkably apt,” the author says. “Once the easternmost province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Bucovina (“land of beech trees”) today straddles the border between Romania and Ukraine: northern Bucovina was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940 and the region’s historic capital, Chernivtsi (Czernowitz in German and Cernauti in Romanian) lies just 30 kilometers, or about 18 miles, north of the frontier.”

The southern part, on the Romanian side, is a world of rolling farmland and steep forested hills, where antique villages and peasant culture coexist with new industry and modern construction. Horses and carts (and the occasional herd of cows) share the roads with SUVs, and intricately carved wood and other ornamentation still decorate many village homes and farmsteads.

Exceptional examples of a rich religious heritage form an important part of the mix. Here are Romania’s famous painted monasteries, built in the 15th and 16th centuries when the region, a stronghold of Orthodox Christianity, was threatened by Ottoman invaders.

The vividly colored frescoes on their exterior walls, masterpieces of Byzantine painting, tell the tales of saints and heroes, and portray in epic imagery the cataclysmic struggle between good and evil at the end of days. The monasteries are among Romania’s most celebrated cultural treasures. Listed on Unesco’s roster of world heritage sites, they draw large numbers of visitors throughout the year.

Here, too, however, are religious sites far less known and rarely visited that also form important components of the region’s deeply rooted spiritual patrimony. These are the centuries-old Jewish cemeteries, whose weathered tombstones bear extraordinary carvings that meld folk motifs and religious iconography into evocative examples of faith expressed through art.

“I was in the Bucovina to carry out research on Jewish tombstone art, and spent many hours photographing the richly sculpted tombstones in cemeteries in Radauti, Siret and other towns. But, traveling by car, I was also able to visit nearly half a dozen of the painted monasteries, all of them located within an easy drive of each other.”

Among them was Sucevita, a fortress-like complex in wooded hills that today is home to a monastic community of several dozen black-clad nuns. Protected by turreted defensive walls, it has a central church topped by an elegant steeple and covered with wonderfully bright paintings from 1602-04.

The simple church at Arbore, built in 1503, is on a much smaller scale. Shaded by trees in a secluded garden, it features faded but powerful paintings by the 16th-century artist Dragos Coman.

07 novembre 2009

A sprinkling of nutmeg

Some snippets of the beautiful Nutmeg State: Old Saybrook, Old Greenwich and Westport.

Politete în stil romanesc!

Un angajat Metrorex i-a întrebat pe pasageri dacă "s-au tâmpit"

Nepoliteţe la metrou. Un conductor i-a întrebat pe pasageri nici mai mult nici mai puţin decât dacă "s-au tâmpit".

Într-una din serile trecute, călătorii care se aflau într-un tren care tocmai pleca din Piaţa Victoriei au fost martorii unui moment inedit, potrivit Adevărul. Pentru că o persoană a încercat să forţeze uşa după semnalul "Atenţie, se închid uşile", conductorul de metrou a deschis microfonul şi s-a adresat pasagerilor. "Stimaţi călători, de ce nu lăsaţi uşile să se închidă? V-aţi tâmpit cu toţii, ce aveţi?!“

Conducerea Metrorex a declarat joi că se vor face cercetări în ceea ce priveşte circumstanţele în care s-a produs incidentul şi a catalogat purtarea angajatului drept una nepotrivită.

Problemele angajaţilor de la metrou sunt departe de a fi rezolvate. Nemulţumiţi de negocierile purtate cu reprezentanţii ministerului Transporturilor şi cu cei ai conducerii Metrorex, angajaţii de la metrou au anunţat că vor declanşa conflictul de muncă şi ameninţă chiar cu greva generală.

Oamenii sunt nemulţumiţi că nici până acum bugetul pe anul 2009 al companiei nu a fost aprobat, iar contractul colectiv de muncă al salariaţilor a expirat la 1 noiembrie. Angajaţii Metrorex se plâng şi de condiţiile grele în care lucrează şi cer majorarea salariului începând cu anul viitor de aproximativ 25%.

Sindicaliştii spun că nici până acum conducerea companiei nu a fost mandatată pentru a începe discuţiile cu salariaţii, iar dacă o soluţie nu va fi găsită la timp, săptămâna viitoare vor declanşa greva generală. 

06 novembre 2009

Please pass the smantana!

Dear All,

How good to read a positive article about Roumanian cuisine. Shame Antony Bourdain didn't see it before he left to make his dreadful documentary. I would like to say that I miss it but it's impossible because, you see, here in Hamden CT there is home-made icre and salata de vinete every night, not to mention salata de boeuf sans boeuf, mamaligutsa cu smantana si branza and a palinka from time to time!

The pix added here are not connected to the article.

This article from Wednesday's Global Post:

Ram Pulp with a Side of Polenta

To enjoy restaurants in the new Bucharest you have to get past the menus.

By Paul Hockenos — Special to GlobalPost

Published: November 4, 2009 07:15 ET
Updated: November 5, 2009 11:49 ET

BUCHAREST, Romania — Of all the obstacles that Romania’s communist dictatorship put in the way of foreign journalists trying to cover the country, the daily quest for decent food was one of the most exasperating.

By the late 1980s, the hardline regime of tyrant Nicolae Ceausescu strictly rationed most basic foodstuffs. There were a few dreary restaurants — for those who could pay — but their fare was extremely limited and often so unappetizing that I, for one, usually left whole meals untouched. I remember one time lugging a backpack full of groceries from Budapest, intended as gifts, that I ended up devouring.

But that was 20 years ago, when Romanians endured Ceausescu’s despotic rule, the most suffocating in all of the Eastern bloc. Today, of course, Bucharest’s shops are chock full and there are restaurants of every kind. I returned to Bucharest open-minded and determined to make up for the past: Romanians rave about their traditional cuisine and I explored it by eating at a different locale every day for a week.

The first stop for gastronomy in Bucharest is the centrul istoric, the historic financial quarter, one of the few parts of downtown Bucharest that Ceausescu didn’t get around to leveling. During communism, it fell into disrepair and became a kind of ghetto where many Gypsies lived. Today bars, cafes and restaurants, including Hungarian and sushi spots, line its quaint, cobbled lanes.

The lively hubbub coming from an alleyway rathskeller called Curtea Berarilor tempted me inside. The dimly lit place resembled an Old World tavern with its thick wooden tables and low ceilings. It was packed with a congenial student-y crowd, and I soon learned why: For about $14, a table could order a “rack” of beer, namely 11 good-sized steins delivered by the barman on a long, thin wooden plank. The pub features the draft beer “Timisoreana” from western Romania.

In contrast to the time when foreigners were unwelcome in Romania, today the country bends over backward to accommodate guests from abroad. This includes translating menus even when the proprietors’ English might be rudimentary. Perched on a bar stool at the Curtea Berarilor, I wondered what a dish described as “pork bone + beans + pickles” might be. So I ordered a portion, along with just one frothy draft beer. What arrived was an absolutely massive piece of smoked pork (with no bone) surrounded by steaming hot, baked white beans — and a plate of pickles. I happily made my way through about a third of the hunk of meat and half the beans before giving up.

A Bucharest favorite, especially for lunch, is the small chain City Grill, which offers traditional homecooking at reasonable prices. The menu includes a plethora of Romanian standards: hearty soups, stuffed peppers with sour cream, pickled salads, spicy sausages and lots of polenta. For centuries the Romanian peasant has lived on a dish called mamaliga which is corn meal, first boiled then baked, with sour cream and a salty white cheese. Every Romanian household serves it, which is why (yes, this is counterintuitive) in the past it was impossible to get in restaurants. My ground pork and rice stuffed in cabbage leaves (sarmalute, a dish known across the Balkans) came with a side of boiled polenta. It was excellent with the savory stuffed cabbage rolls, a refreshing alternative to the potatoes or rice one would expect elsewhere.

Another regional speciality is tripe soup, made from the mixed innards of cattle. Romanians crave it and claim it cures hangovers like nothing else. I steered clear of this kind of thing, even though the waiter at one al fresco restaurant energetically insisted that I try it. But I decided to be adventurous in another way. The menu at Restaurant Crama Blanduziei was a train wreck of mangled English including such translations as “fried brain in egg,” “foul liver in a pan,” “garlic juice” and “boneless chicken pulps in a pot.” I went for the “ram pulp pastrami” having no idea what to expect, though fairly certain it wasn’t innards. It turned out to be cured lamb, I think, thinly sliced and cooked on the open grill outside. The meal came with a big mound of polenta and picked red peppers. All in all, quite delicious.

I left Bucharest with a good feeling about my culinary mission. It certainly banished those bad memories from the days of the dictatorship. And although I may take a week off from polenta, I’m intending to surprise my next dinner guests with corn meal mush Romanian-style.

Tudor Banus - Exhibition in Paris 8è

Bucharest born Tudor Banus: Painter, artist, engraver, author, book (see pix right - "The Muppet Show Book" by its inventor and "Particularly Cats" by Doris Lessing) and press illustrator whilst also being a friend of mine (which certainly adds to your interest, I'm sure). Do please take a look at his very well-done and easy to navigate homepage.

Tudor is having two vernissages at the Galérie Paul Amarica, 21 rue Washington, 75008 Paris, métro George V on 19 November 18h30-21h and 21st November 18h-20h30, with the exhibition running from 20 November through until 24 December.

Since those of you able to attend are living in Paris, I'll keep this post in French. Please, please go and support Tudor. I am sorry that I am unable to be amongst those raising a glass to him. He deserves a very successful exhibition - and should you have an empty space on your wall, why not invest in one of Tudor's paintings.

Here's Tudor's bio and a bunch of impressive critics to motivate you:

Né le 8 juillet 1947 à Bucarest.

Diplômé de l'École d'architecture et d'urbanisme de Bucarest en 1971. Études d'architectures, de technique ancienne de peinture à l’huile et de gravure à l'École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts de Paris (ateliers Wacker et A. Pincas).

Il quitte définitivement la Roumanie en 1972 et s'établit à Paris.

Première exposition personnelle en 1974. A obtenu en 1979 le prix pour le plus beau livre pour la jeunesse avec Les Musiciens de la ville de Brême, des Frères Grimm. Depuis 1976, il collabore à plus de cinquante journaux et revues (dessins et couvertures), dont Le Monde, Die Zeit, The New York Times, L'Express, etc...

Critiques

Tudor Banus --- roumain, ce peintre illustrateur allie une fantaisie extraordinaire à un foisonnement typiquement baroque, donnant naissance à un délire fantastique original : Dürer revu et corrigé par les surréalistes.
L'Express

Tudor Banus a deux qualités qui sont rarement réunies dans la même personne, celle du talent et de l'intellect. Il est capable de satisfaire à la fois l'exigence esthétique et intellectuelle. Il est un très important artiste contemporain.
The New York Times

Tudor Banus nous montre des gravures, des dessins et des peintures dans un étrange coloris de vieux cuir, de nèfles et de marrons glacés. Tout cela a, dès à présent, une odeur de musée, de chef-d'oeuvre retrouvé, de cabinet de magicien, et d'antre d'alchimiste. Il y a là une sorte de délire contrôlé;, une perfection du dessin qui défie la critique, un délire de dérision qui s'exprime par des situations cocasses. Son art insolite et fantastique s'appuie sur un réalisme exigeant et ne cesse de nous occuper le souvenir.
La Libre Belgique

Les lecteurs de Marianne ne sont pas les seuls à s'attarder aux illustrations très fouillées de Tudor Banus. Ceux du Monde, de l'Express, du Point, du New York Times, de Die Zeit sont aussi frappés par ses dessins au trait acide et aux couleurs chaudes, qui donnent toujours un arrière-plan étrange, baroque, inquiétant aux événements et figures d'actualité. Ce qui fait qu'avec Tudor Banus, l'actualité n'est plus seulement d'actualité. C'est que notre illustrateur est avant tout un peintre, comme on peut s'en aviser à l'occasion de cette exposition. Un peintre très bien formé aux subtilités de son art et qui, pouvant tout faire de sa main, du plus précis au plus planant, nous rappelle qu'on ne voit bien l'ici et maintenant qu'avec l'oeil de l'imagination.
Jean-Philippe Domecq

On connaît depuis longtemps l'illustrateur de presse Tudor Banus, virtuose graphique à l'inventivité époustouflante qui collabore avec les titres les plus prestigieux de la presse internationale (en France, notamment Le Monde). On sait moins que Banus est peintre, peut-être faute d'occasions de voir son travail. En voici une qu'il ne faut absolument pas manquer : l'effet de surprise est garanti. On ne saurait classer cet artiste inclassable, qui mélange les genres, les thèmes et les styles avec une jubilation visible. On ne saurait pas davantage interpréter ces images complexes, saturées, montrant des nus qui n'ont rien d'académique et beaucoup de créatures qui semblent venues tout droit de l'inconscient, à moins qu'il ne s'agisse de réminiscences d'une culture hétéroclite, archaïque et futuriste à la fois, terrifiante aussi bien qu'humoristique. En essayant d'exprimer l'état de sidération dans lequel est inévitablement plongé l'observateur des tableaux de Tudor Banus, je m'aperçois que tout se passe comme si je voulais décrire l'indescriptible Jérôme Bosch. Du peintre du Tryptique du jardin des délices, Banus n'a pas seulement hérité son goût du grouillement formel, mais aussi son pouvoir de transmutation. De l'organique au mécanique, du végétal à l'animal, des passerelles incongrues sont sans cesse jetées. Des concréations minérales insolites poussent chez Banus comme chez Bosch. Visuellement les similitudes sont frappantes, mais philosophiquement elles ne paraissent pas moins troublantes. On parierait que Tudor Banus est un pessimiste qui n'a guère d'illusions quant à l'humanité. Bosch la voyait s'acheminant, sur une charette de foin, vers l'enfer éternel. Tudor Banus l'accompagne dans sa marche vers une inoxérable apocalypse dont, de temps à autre, il a la force de nous faire rire. Ce n'est pas la moindre de ses qualités variées et déconcertantes.
Jean-Luc Chalumeau, critique d'art (février 2005)

 

Smart specs!

Wow! Just think how much easier life could be with a pair of these! I'd put them on your Christmas list if I were you! This from the BBC:

Smart spectacles aid translation

The spectacles are due to go on sale in Japan in 2010 Spectacles that can provide subtitles have been created by hi-tech firm NEC. Resembling glasses but lacking lenses, the headset uses a tiny projector to display images on a user's retina. NEC said it planned a version that used real-time translation to provide subtitles for a conversation between people lacking a common language. The firm said the gadget, dubbed Tele Scouter, was intended for sales people or employees dealing with inquiries from customers. NEC said the Tele Scouter was intended to be a business tool that could aid sales staff who would have information about a client's buying history beamed into their eye during a conversation. But, it said, it could also be put to a more exotic use as a translation aid. In this scenario the microphone on the headset picks up the voices of both people in a conversation, pipes it through translation software and voice-to-text systems and then sends the translation back to the headset. FROM BBC WORLD SERVICE More from BBC World Service At the same time as a user hears a translation, they would also get text subtitles beamed onto the retina. "You can keep the conversation flowing," NEC spokesman Takayuki Omino told AFP at a Tokyo trade show where the device was unveiled. Mr Omino said the system could also be used for confidential talks that would be compromised by the use of a human translator. NEC said the Tele Scouter would be launched in Japan in November, 2010 but would initially lack the translation feature. A version that can provide subtitles would follow in 2011, it said. When it goes on sale, a batch of 30 headsets will cost about 7.5m yen (£50,000). The cost does not include the price of the translation tools and software.

05 novembre 2009

The Pig Flu Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Dear Everyone,

This whole 'flu' issue is becoming way too complicated....what are we supposed to think? There's H1N1, Novel and Swine Flu viruses and noone seems to know which is which or whether they are all the same or...which one has a curly tail and a snout...

So, here's some info to help you sort it out once and for all from Wiki Q&A:

• All swine flus and H1N1 viruses are forms (sub-types) of the Type A Influenza.

• There are "H1N1" influenza viruses that are not "swine flu", some types of the seasonal flu are actually also H1N1.
• All the different viruses that are called swine flu viruses are of the H1N1 sub-type.

• Swine Flu is a nick name used for:

• • "Novel" H1N1 (the 2009 pandemic flu),
  • the original H1N1 in humans from the 1930's,
  • the "Swine Flu" from the 70's, 80's, and,
  • the H1N1 virus that caused flu in pigs from which the other strains evolved.
• The original Swine Flu in pigs contained only swine/hog genetic material and was only infective from pig to pig.

• H1N1 is the name for the original Swine Flu that mutated so that humans started getting it from pigs decades before the 2009 pandemic (in the 1930's). It could be passed pig to pig, pig to human (rarely when humans were in very close proximity to pigs as farmers or workers in pig farms), and human to pig (also rarely), then human to human even less often. That strain contains both swine and human genetic material.
• "Novel H1N1" is the name coined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the flu of the 2009 pandemic (see above and below in related questions for other names it is being called).
• The Novel H1N1 (now also called "A-H1N1/09" by the World Health Organization-WHO) mutated from the prior strains and contains genetic material from pigs, from humans, and from birds (Avian Flu). It is called "Novel" because it is unique and a completely new strain of virus never seen until just before the pandemic. It was created through what is called a "triple reassortant" process (sometimes also called "triple reassortment". Some people also call it quadruple reassortant, which is probably more appropriate.) It means, in this case, that within the pigs, the virus underwent a mutation that combined the three different species' genetic material (because it contains two types of the pig viruses, is why some call it quadruple).
• "A-H1N1/09" is infective from pig to pig, pig to human, human to pig, and human to human. It is possible, but not yet proven, that it could also pass to and from birds in some very crowded conditions of pigs and birds or humans, pigs, and birds such as might occur on crowded farm facilities of ducks or geese kept with hogs and also with human workers all together in over-crowded and unsanitary conditions.

So now you know...whichever flu is flying, if you want my profesh medical advice, don't forget to drink plenty of palinka which will kill off any self-respecting bacteria in seconds - oh and while you're at it, maybe put a little behind your ears to ward off potential bugs...and save me a glass. Noroc!

04 novembre 2009

More on Herta Muller

The Passport and Nadirs by Herta Müller

The Nobel prizewinner has yet to convince Tibor Fischer of her artistry

• Tibor Fischer
• The Guardian, Saturday 24 October 2009

The Passport

by Herta Müller, translated by Martin Chalmers 99pp, Serpent's Tail, £7.99

Nadirs

by Herta Müller, translated by Sieglinde Lug 126pp, Nebraska, £9.99

I have a lot of sympathy for anyone who grew up in Ceausescu's Romania. In Hungary, in Poland, in Czechoslovakia, even in East Germany, things weren't great for the majority, but if you behaved, you could have peace and a modicum of comfort. Not in Romania. Behaving didn't help. By the 1980s, it was a very poor, nasty and strange place where typewriters had to be registered and where, once, with one packet of cigarettes as a bribe, I managed to open an entire closed restaurant in the centre of Bucharest.

It was miserable for everyone except the ruling elite, and it was doubly miserable for the minorities, the two million Hungarians and the Germans, from whose ranks came this year's Nobel prizewinner for literature, Herta Müller. Ceausescu operated a mild form of ethnic cleansing, selling his Germans to West Germany and making conditions so tough for the Hungarians that many opted for an easier life across the border in Budapest. Müller and her fellow writer and husband, Richard Wagner, quit Romania in 1987.

Two of Müller's books are available in English at the moment – a "novel", The Passport (first published in 1989), and Nadirs, a short story collection. Another novel, The Land of Green Plums, is due to be reissued by Granta next month.

Of all the writers who've won the Nobel prize, Müller must have the most rudimentary prose style. The citation from the Nobel committee refers to the "frankness of prose". With the possible exception of Dan Brown or Barbara Taylor Bradford, prose doesn't come any franker than this. Sentences such as "The plums were green and ripe" or "Windisch shivers" don't occur as a punchy contrast to sesquipedalian descriptions or Proustian concatenations of clauses. This is Müller's staple fare, the basic building block, indeed almost the only building block she deigns to use.

Half of her sentences are under 10 words long, and few are over 14. If concision and clarity of expression is your pleasure, Müller delivers to the front door. You could fit three of her stories into this review. The short story collection, The Passport and her Impac award-winning The Land of Green Plums all focus on village life in 1970s Romania, and often read like Thomas Hardy abridged for six-year-olds. If her work had been handed to me in a creative writing class I'd be pleading for the use of a subordinate clause every now and then.

Presumably there is something going on in the German original that gives Müller's words greater appeal and colour. I know enough intelligent, cultured Germans who admire her work to suspect that something significant is being shed in the rendering.

The short story collection Nadirs was Müller's first book, published in 1982 in Romania in a "censored" form, and I think I can guess which bits fell by the wayside. The official policy towards minorities under Ceausescu was love and nurture, so work was published in German and Hungarian, though the officially sanctioned stuff was usually tosh or full abasement sycophancy to the "Conductor".

Some of the stories in Nadirs (although texts might be a better term) are so matter of fact and so inconsequential that I read them three or four times to confirm I wasn't missing something. "The Swabian Bath" is about a Swabian family having a bath on a Saturday night. As it's 70s Romania, the whole family uses the same tub and water: "The little gray rolls of Mother, of Father, of Grandma, and of Grandpa are whirling down the drain." I can imagine that, as a performance piece, read aloud, this might have some musicality and life, but it slumps pointlessly on the page. Similarly, "The Intervillage Bus" is the obiter dicta of passengers on an inter-village bus.

There are also pieces that are more playful and indeed abstruse. I had to read "Workday", which closes the collection, several times because of its topsy-turvy, almost reverse-time account of getting to the office, with surreal lines such as "three stops before getting on, I get off".

The Passport is a 90-page novel about a miller, Windisch, a Swab, or ethnic German, who applies for a passport to leave Romania. That's all in the way of plot or narrative impetus. The style is as clipped as that of Nadirs and the setting is the same: rural Romania. The vignettes are reminiscent of Nadirs but linked together by the wandering Windisch. The original German title of the book was "Man is a large pheasant in the world" (a Romanian proverb which underlines man's status as prey for fate), which better captures the growth of the poetic, oracular elements in Müller's writing. If you don't know why there are Swabs in the Banat, Saxons in Transylvania and Hungarians in both regions, a lot of this won't make much sense to you.

Müller was in her mid-30s when she left Romania, and although Romania has remained her main preoccupation, I find it a cerebral, processed Romania, more art than likeness (not that there's anything wrong with that). The Hungarian writer Gyorgy Dragoman left Romania as a child, but if you want a book that replicates the grim lunacy of Ceausescu's reign, his novel The White King is the one to go for.