novembre 2011

(Photo source) Some very heartening news this evening: Nicusor Dan, the President of the association Salvati Bucurestiul, has declared that he will be running for Mayor in the 2012 elections as an independent and with a budget of zero lei (I love that bit!). Hurrah! The announcement will be made officially on the corners of str.s Pitar Mos and Verona on Tuesday at 12h. During a session at the Consiliului General al Municipiului Bucuresti today, he openly challenged Mayor Sorin Oprescu to a debate concerning Bucharest's development. ... [Lire la suite]

28th November The symbolic 100h will come to an end, I'm told, at around 22h tonight. The manifesto will be given to the press along with demands made and suggested solutions THIS EVENING at 22h - symbolically at the end of the 100h. Alexandru says, "IT DOESN'T END HERE! The manifesto is going to circulate among the different faculties in Romania and we hope to receive as much support from other students as possible. Afterwards, we are going to take our demands and our solutions higher up to the board of each faculty and... [Lire la suite]

(Photo source) A wonderful initiative - congratulations to Camelia Csiki and her team at TVR. 30,000 monuments are in danger in Romania today. Yes, 30,000... it's worse than sad. It's criminal. Perhaps these short documentaries will bring a little awareness, cause a stab of consciousness, catalyse some kind of indignance. Let's hope so. Below, you will find the episodes as they are broadcast along with the write-up from the TVR.ro site. Please click on each episode-title hyperlink to see the programme if you missed it. Bravo, TVR! ... [Lire la suite]

(Photo source) Now we have heard it all. Can Mayor Oprescu sink any lower...? The answer to that is...probably. On Realitatea last Saturday, he openly attacked 'civil society' and particularly Salvati Bucurestiul, accusing the association of wanting to construct a high-rise near Hala Matache. Is he utterly insane? Or perhaps drunk? Or senile? Does he honestly believe that the people of Bucharest are going to gob that?!? Unfortunately, there are many who will... When Salvati Bucurestiul is an NGO with no funds of its own, such an... [Lire la suite]

(Photo source) I am overwhelmed having just watched THIS superb Panorama documentary, "Britain's Child Beggars" on BBC World, dated 19th October - a very moving, terribly sad report. Bravo Panorama and bravo John Sweeney for such excellent journalism and showing, for once, this problem from more than one side. The documentary says nothing new, in fact, but the very fact that it portrays the problem of child trafficking and forced begging so clearly from several aspects IS something new and good to see. Sweeney meets some of the many... [Lire la suite]

Foto 1: Hala Matache, 9 noiembrie 2011, foto Adrian Balteanu, Observatorul Urban al UAR:                   Foto 2: Hala Matache, 9 noiembrie 2011, foto Adrian Balteanu, Observatorul Urban al UAR:                   Foto 3: Hala Matache, 9 noiembrie 2011:                   Foto 4: Hala Matache, 9 noiembrie 2011, efectele corozive ale "consolidarii increderii": ... [Lire la suite]

(Photo source: My thanks to Ileana Partenie for the next two photographs of the fate of str.Dionisie Lupu 56, left, taken 7th November, 2011) Update 8th November: Here come the press reports: Hotnews by Catiusa Ivanov TVR (video) B365.ro Agerpres Observatorul Urban Bucuresti URGENT UPDATE Monday 7th November 15h: PREVIOUS INFO INCORRECT!!! The acts to demolish were NOT in order (how could they have been?!?) - they had not only expired three weeks ago, but were for another demolition entirely that had already been carried... [Lire la suite]