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(Photo source) Dr. Sanda Golopenția PhD, Professor Emerita at Brown University, RI (US), sent me this text yesterday, and has given me kind permission to share it with you here. In this one article, she sums things up in a nutshell defining what is planned for MTR, Antipa and the Village Museum as 'a serious act of cultural aggression': Many thanks, Professor Golopenția!   Normal 0 21 Trei muzee prestigioase deturnate de la munca și misiunea lor   Sanda Golopenția, Prof.Em. Brown University   ... [Lire la suite]

(Photo source) Yet another vicious beating from Romanian authorities, this time aimed at the Romanian Peasant Museum (Muzeul Ţăranului Român - MTR)... PM Victor Pontaur is all for an absurd draft resolution dreamed up by the Sinister of the Environment PSD-ist Rovana Plumb (all those out in the streets protesting against the RMGC project and fracking know her only too well) to move the nearby Grigore Antipa Museum of Natural History there, thus destroying MTR and its grounds as we know it. Actually, it destroys two museums in one... [Lire la suite]

(Photo source) Fifty Greenpeace activists from ten countries (including Romania) armed with picks and shovels were arrested in Bucharest today after taking to the front lawn of the Casa Nebunului, setting up a 'mining area' and 'digging for gold' in symbolic opposition to the Rosia Montana gold-mining project. Banners displayed the messages "Gold Mining Operations" and "Gold mining area". What a fantastic initiative!! BRAVO!! A shame they didn't have a couple of tons of cyanide to throw in, too! See video HERE and more photos HERE. ... [Lire la suite]

(Photo source) The Romanian Senate rejected the bill on gold exploitation at Rosia Montana submitted by the government today, thus adopting the Special Commission's report (see yesterday's blogpost HERE). The Senate ruled on the rejection with 119 votes to 3, and six abstentions. A second and final vote is now awaited from the Chamber of Deputies on 27th November, or thereabouts. PSD leader of the Senate, Ilie Sarbu, said during the preceding debate that the project and all those involved in approving it will be investigated by the... [Lire la suite]

(Photo source) What is it going to take for RMGC to understand and accept that their gold-mining project at Rosia Montana is NOT wanted in Romania? Last Monday, the joint parliamentary commission for Rosia Montana voted NO to a draft bill submitted by the government that would have given the go-ahead for Europe's largest (and most dangerous) open mine to move forward in Romania. The news sent the Canadian mining company’s stock down 10%, or 9.3¢ to close at 82.7¢ on the Toronto Stock Exchange. No sympathy whatsoever from this... [Lire la suite]

(Image source) Alexandre Herlea's letter to UNESCO's CEO dated 14th October concerning Rosia Montana's inclusion on the World Heritage List has been translated into English so that it may be shared yet further still and understood by those who do not speak French. Mr Herlea is President of La Maison Roumaine here in Paris.    LA MAISON ROUMAINE... [Lire la suite]

(Photo source) As I sat waiting for my students to show up this morning, I had a recording of Romica Puceanu and the Gore Brothers playing on my pc. Simply wonderful. They appeared with their coffee and sat quietly (pretty rare!) to listen, too. My original lesson topic sailed promptly out the window and instead, we talked about Romica which lead to a fascinating voyage through music, discussion and debate thanks to the info on the inside of my CD cover noted below, with Romica playing quietly in the background. If you don't like... [Lire la suite]

(Image source) I have just received this letter by e-mail from Alexandre Herlea the President of La Maison Roumaine here in Paris, addressed to UNESCO's CEO Madame Irina Bokova, concerning Rosia Montana's position for World Heritage status. Personally, I do not have a shred of faith that the Romanian government will do the decent thing - and that makes Mr Herlea's letter of all the greater importance, for it asks UNESCO's help in putting on the pressure. Before saying, "but that won't do any good!", let's wait and see. La Maison... [Lire la suite]

It's amazing just how much news there's been in the last few days behind the scenes of the Rosia Montana project. It keeps coming at a rate of knotts. Hoards of it. Revelations, provocations, absurdities... So I'd better get it all down on paper before anything else happens. (Photo source) First of all, the National Audiovisual Council of Romania (CNA) banned all broadcasting of TV spots in favour of the Rosia Montana Project two days after TV presenter Eugenia Voda's open letter became public, insisting on "immediate and complete... [Lire la suite]

This morning, I needed to write something to cheer myself up (and you too, perhaps) and realised that tho' I've written lots of funny posts since this blog began in 2007, I've never written about Romanian Humour as a subject in itself. As it is so utterly suuuuuperb, here we go - oh, and since it's such a huge topic, this'll be done in two parts. Welcome to Part I. No matter what history has dosed out, no matter how much hellish destruction (physical, mental or social) has been endured, no matter how much terror, cold, hunger has... [Lire la suite]