Sarah in Romania

Update on earlier

Sarah in Romania — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:48:00 GMT

I just cannot believe that this mafioso low-life is going to govern Roumania and line his pockets through his continual dodgy dealings for yet another five years. I do not understand how this happened. I understand that the elections were fixed but I do not understand how. So, I am trying to read everything I can find and sift the intelligent stuff from the crap (not evident!). I can always rely on RRI for a lucid look at things. Thank you.

"The good news is that these elections were the most pluralistic yet, with a large number of candidates and quickly shifting alliances, but on the downside they’ve been marked by fighting and personal accusations of corruption and manipulation. The turnout was unparalleled in the last few years, with 58% of eligible voters going to the polls.

Right as polling stations were closing at 9 PM on Sunday, exit polls were so close that both candidates held widely televised victory speeches. A number of news channels reported results selected to reflect their political affiliation.

The speeches carefully reflected campaign slogans, showing growing political savvy. Social Democrat leader Mircea Geoana said: "It is a beautiful night for Romanian democracy! I want to thank you, the millions of Romanians who voted, and especially my Liberal friends. Our victory is a victory of normality, ours is the victory of common sense, ours is the victory of all Romanians who wish for a better life".

In a parallel speech, incumbent Basescu said: "We won, just like in 2004! Our victory has been won mainly by the people of Romania. Romanians have learned democracy fully, and acted accordingly. Whoever said that Romanians are sick and tired of politics got the best retort from Romanians themselves.

Today, the Central Election Bureau announced final results: incumbent Basescu has 50.3%, and Social Democratic contender Geoana, in spite of support from the Liberals and their partners, has only 49.6%. It looks like the election was decided mostly by the votes of Romanians abroad, which overwhelmingly preferred to have the current president stay in office."
(A report produced by the English Service, as part of the EURANET Partnership)

Interview with HR Patapievici

Sarah in Romania — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:56:37 GMT

An interview with Horia Roman Patapievici, director of ICR, dating this month, whom you all now know because we've been writing madly to save Plural magazine - see link (right side of page).

Monday morning musing

Sarah in Romania — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:12:00 GMT

Dear Everyone,

I am speechless. I cannot believe the results (Basescu 50.33% to Geoana's 49.66%). Sibiu had an overwhelming Basescu majority? Noooooooooooooo! And I believe even less that the ex-pats voted Basescu, for every Roumanian I know outside their country with whom I have had any kind of political discussion (and who give a damn) haaaaaaaaaaaaate him. There have been some very bizarre results from all over the place that leave things all the more unbelievable (Brasov - Basescu: No way! Transylvania for Basescu: impossible!). Mud slinging continues on both sides like mongers in a fish market. Geoana says that Roumania doesn't deserve another five years of Basescu, who stole the mandate. Quite right too. So? And so, PSD are contesting the results. My question: if the percentage between the two was so tiny, won't there need to be a recount or even a revote anyway? Ce balamuc...

Having been glued to Europa FM by internet most of the morning, the news gets worse and worse...Taraceanu suggests a merger with Basescu....whaaaaaaaaaaaaat? Crin says no way.

I am so disgusted that I cannot write anymore.

Here's a short article from Bucharest Herald to tell you what I can't be bothered to write:

Traian Basescu won the presidential election according to the final provisory results announced by the Central Election Bureau (BEC). The counting in all the 21,706 sections in the country revealed that Traian Basescu obtained 50.33 per cent of the votes and Mircea Geoana obtained the rest of 49.66 per cent. BEC are final but unvalidated yet.

The data revealed a presence of 58,02 per cent in this election round. On the second election round, which took place on Sunday the total number of the electors registered on the copies of the permanent voting lists is 17,654,298, while the number of those present at the polls is 10,229.433. The total number of valid votes is 10,095,938, that is 98.69 per cent, of which 133,419 nul votes, representing 1.3 per cent.

BEC will not announce any other election results on Monday.

Happy Feast Day of St. Nicolas!

Sarah in Romania — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 16:28:00 GMT

Happy Feast of St. Nicolas! This morning, I woke up in my Hamden nest here in the Nutmeg State to my Nicole who said 'heeeeeeeeeeeey! Your sneakers have been hijacked!' And sure enough, they weren't where I had left them. Oh no! They were in the hall and overflowing with fruit, nuts, chocolates and a beautiful pair of earrings. How lovely! Childhood revisited! How I love Mos Nicolae! He has always been my favourite saint on icons due to his perpetually kind face, and I have always admired his patience as his fingers are constantly in a knot and he never looks as if he has cramp. Bravo.

I must write a post about this, I thought. Nicole gave me a teaching session on Mos Nicolae, and added that I should do some research before writing anything. Sure. So, here we go! Who was St. Nicolae (please click - he has his own site!)?

Saint Nicholas (Greek: Άγιος Νικόλαος , Agios ["saint"] Nikolaos ["victory of the people"]) (270 - 6 December 346) is the common name for Nicholas of Myra, a saint and Bishop of Myra (Demre, in Lycia, part of modern-day Turkey). Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus, whose English name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas. His reputation evolved among the faithful, as is common for early Christian saints.

St. Nicolas is surrounded by many tales and legends. One story tells of a poor man with three daughters. In those days a young woman's father had to offer prospective husbands something of value—a dowry. The larger the dowry, the better the chance that a young woman would find a good husband. Without a dowry, a woman was unlikely to marry. This poor man's daughters, without dowries, were therefore destined to be sold into slavery. Mysteriously, on three different occasions, a bag of gold appeared in their home-providing the needed dowries. The bags of gold, tossed through an open window, are said to have landed in stockings or shoes left before the fire to dry. This led to the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes, eagerly awaiting gifts from Saint Nicholas. Sometimes the story is told with gold balls instead of bags of gold. That is why three gold balls - todays symbols outsode pawn brokers, sometimes represented as oranges, are one of the symbols for St. Nicholas. And so St. Nicholas is a gift-giver.

One of the oldest stories showing St. Nicholas as a protector of children takes place long after his death. The townspeople of Myra were celebrating the good saint on the eve of his feast day when a band of Arab pirates from Crete came into the district. They stole treasures from the Church of Saint Nicholas to take away as booty. As they were leaving town, they snatched a young boy, Basilios, to make into a slave. The emir, or ruler, selected Basilios to be his personal cupbearer, as not knowing the language, Basilios would not understand what the king said to those around him. So, for the next year Basilios waited on the king, bringing his wine in a beautiful golden cup. For Basilios' parents, devastated at the loss of their only child, the year passed slowly, filled with grief. As the next St. Nicholas' feast day approached, Basilios' mother would not join in the festivity, as it was now a day of tragedy. However, she was persuaded to have a simple observance at home—with quiet prayers for Basilios' safekeeping. Meanwhile, as Basilios was fulfilling his tasks serving the emir, he was suddenly whisked up and away. St. Nicholas appeared to the terrified boy, blessed him, and set him down at his home back in Myra. Imagine the joy and wonderment when Basilios amazingly appeared before his parents, still holding the king's golden cup. This is the first story told of St. Nicholas protecting children—which became his primary role in the West.

Another story tells of three theological students, traveling on their way to study in Athens. A wicked innkeeper robbed and murdered them, hiding their remains in a large pickling tub. It so happened that Bishop Nicholas, traveling along the same route, stopped at this very inn. In the night he dreamed of the crime, got up, and summoned the innkeeper. As Nicholas prayed earnestly to God the three boys were restored to life and wholeness. In France the story is told of three small children, wandering in their play until lost, lured, and captured by an evil butcher. St. Nicholas appears and appeals to God to return them to life and to their families. And so St. Nicholas is the patron and protector of children.

Several stories tell of Nicholas and the sea. When he was young, Nicholas sought the holy by making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. There as he walked where Jesus walked, he sought to more deeply experience Jesus' life, passion, and resurrection. Returning by sea, a mighty storm threatened to wreck the ship. Nicholas calmly prayed. The terrified sailors were amazed when the wind and waves suddenly calmed, sparing them all. And so this is why St. Nicholas is the patron of sailors and voyagers.

Other stories tell of Nicholas saving his people from famine, sparing the lives of those innocently accused, and much more. He did many kind and generous deeds in secret, expecting nothing in return. Within a century of his death he was celebrated as a saint. Today he is venerated in the East as wonder, or miracle worker and in the West as patron of a great variety of persons - children, mariners, bankers, pawn-brokers, scholars, orphans, laborers, travelers, merchants, judges, paupers, marriageable maidens, students, children, sailors, victims of judicial mistakes, captives, perfumers, even thieves and murderers! He is known as the friend and protector of all in trouble or need.

Sailors, claiming St. Nicholas as patron, carried stories of his favor and protection far and wide. St. Nicholas chapels were built in many seaports. As his popularity spread during the Middle Ages, he became the patron saint of Apulia (Italy), Sicily, Greece, and Lorraine (France), and many cities in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Russia, Belgium, and the Netherlands (See list). Following his baptism in Constantinople, Vladimir I of Russia brought St. Nicholas' stories and devotion to St. Nicholas to his homeland where Nicholas became the most beloved saint. Nicholas was so widely revered that more than 2,000 churches were named for him, including three hundred in Belgium, thirty-four in Rome, twenty-three in the Netherlands and more than four hundred in England.

Nicholas' tomb in Myra became a popular place of pilgrimage. Because of the many wars and attacks in the region, some Christians were concerned that access to the tomb might become difficult. For both the religious and commercial advantages of a major pilgrimage site, the Italian cities of Venice and Bari vied to get the Nicholas relics. In the spring of 1087, sailors from Bari succeeded in spiriting away the bones, bringing them to Bari, a seaport on the southeast coast of Italy. An impressive church was built over St. Nicholas' crypt and many faithful journeyed to honor the saint who had rescued children, prisoners, sailors, famine victims, and many others through his compassion, generosity, and the countless miracles attributed to his intercession. The Nicholas shrine in Bari was one of medieval Europe's great pilgrimage centers and Nicholas became known as "Saint in Bari." To this day pilgrims and tourists visit Bari's great Basilica di San Nicola.

In Romania children typically leave their boots on the windowsill on the evening of December 5. By next morning Moş Nicolae (Sfântul Nicolae) leaves candy and gifts if they have been good, or a rod (Romanian: nuieluşǎ) if they have been bad (most kids end up getting small gifts but also a small rod). I didn't get a rod for which I am very grateful indeed!

So, now you know! Happy Feast day to all Nicoles, Nicolettes, Nicoletas, Nicolas's and Nicks and to all children everywhere!

Herta on Goethe

Sarah in Romania — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 01:52:39 GMT

Dear Everyone,

Here's an excellent article on Herta Muller found on the Goethe Institute site. For fifteen years Ceausescu’s henchmen and their successors “made me the object of a manhunt”, Müller wrote in 2003 in her volume of essays entitled Der König verneigt sich und tötet (i.e., The King Bows and Kills): an experience that has never let her go. This may be pointed out to anyone repeatedly calling that she acknowledges her new homeland with a novel about the German present.

And even if she did acknowledge her 'new' homeland, how polite would she be? They haven't been terribly kind to her lately...burning her books and then mixing up the charred pages in a bucket with minced meat and pigs blood on prime time chat-shows. Very nice.

We are quite becoming Herta specialists here in Hamden CT. 'Nadirs', 'The Land of Green Plums' (excellent) and now 'The Appointment'. One must identify with the period of persecution and terror in which she lived. Reading these cold are an impossibility. They are not easy to digest. They take time and patience and a good deal of tea. They make your blood run cold and they give a glimpse of what fear can do. I am lucky never to have lived such fear. The critics asking that she writes about todays Germany never knew fear either. That much is blatently obvious or they would never utter such stupidity.

Optimism for Klaus

Sarah in Romania — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:38:00 GMT

Below, an excellent article from the NYT:

Grim Romanians Brighten Over a German Connection

Marco Baroncini for The New York Times

The mayor of Sibiu, Romania, a member of the country’s German minority, has turned the town into a cultural and economic gem.

By NICHOLAS KULISH

Published: December 5, 2009

SIBIU, Romania — Klaus Johannis, the successful mayor of this Transylvanian city, finds himself at the center of the bitterly fought presidential election here, even though he is not running for office and is not even ethnically Romanian.

Marco Baroncini for The New York Times

Klaus Johannis, the mayor of Sibiu, is a rising political star.

The fact that Mr. Johannis comes from the country’s tiny German minority, which would be a major liability in other countries in Eastern Europe, puts him at a distinct advantage here in Romania. So much so, in fact, that should the Social Democratic challenger, Mircea Geoana, succeed in his bid to unseat the incumbent center-right president, Traian Basescu, in Sunday’s vote — he is leading in the polls — he has promised to appoint Mr. Johannis as prime minister.

Mr. Geoana’s decision to back Mr. Johannis for prime minister as one of his campaign promises hinges on the mayor’s success in rebuilding this old town into a small gem that was named a European Capital of Culture in 2007 while attracting foreign investments and thousands of jobs to this unlikely corner of the Continent. But Mr. Johannis also benefits from the positive stereotypes Romanians associate with the German population, known as Transylvanian Saxons, who have called the region home since the 12th century.

The Saxons, known in German as Siebenbürger Sachsen, are considered hard-working, precise and uncompromising, an attractive mixture in a country tired of mismanagement and corruption, and one of the hardest hit in Europe by the economic crisis. It also does not hurt that the country experienced some of its best moments under German kings more than a century ago, even though the monarchs were unrelated to the local German population.

“I think it’s a real advantage that he’s German,” said Bianca Florea, 18, a student, as she passed through the main town square in Sibiu on Friday. “Well, not exactly German, but Saxon.” Asked why, Ms. Florea responded, “We Romanians are a bit lazy, that’s my opinion.”

But like most of the dozen residents interviewed here, she was skeptical about Mr. Johannis’s prospective move to Bucharest, despite praising his work as mayor.

“He could go there and do a good job for a while or he could be a puppet for others,” Ms. Florea said. Mr. Johannis belongs to none of the major parties, but instead to the small German Democratic Forum, which represents the 60,000 ethnic Germans remaining in the country. Hundreds of thousands of others left during the oppressive regime of Nicolae Ceausescu and in the years immediately after the fall of Communism 20 years ago.

Political analysts in Bucharest say that for all Mr. Johannis’s successes managing Sibiu, working as a figurehead leader in the capital at the whim of hard-nosed political operators would be another story.

“It’s a high-risk business because I would be an independent prime minister running a political government,” Mr. Johannis said in an interview in his office overlooking the town square on Friday. “Nobody’s tried this before. But I’m pretty optimistic it would be a success.”

Few question his success in Sibiu, or Hermannstadt in German. Local residents like to joke that his vote tallies for his re-election bids in 2004 (87 percent) and 2008 (83 percent), look like rigged elections under Communism. And that comes despite the fact that ethnic Germans represent just 2,000 of the city’s 155,000 people.

Mr. Johannis, who is fluent in English as well as German and Romanian, traveled the Continent drumming up interest in the city, helping to attract major companies like Renault and Siemens.

But he built his reputation among voters by building roads and bringing heating to once-unheated schools in town, and for showing up personally for spot-checks at municipal offices and building sites, a form of hands-on management that he conceded in the interview would be impossible on a national scale.

“It’s one thing to change a city and run it,” Mr. Johannis said. “It’s a whole different business to change a country and run it. But I think in the end, the abilities that a public manager needs are the same in a mayor as in a prime minister.”

Romanians appear ready to take a gamble, in part because they find themselves in such a difficult spot. The International Monetary Fund forecast an 8.5 percent contraction in the country’s economy for 2009, and along with the European Union and other institutions, it put together a $30 billion bailout for the country earlier this year.

But that sorely needed money is at risk unless the government can make difficult changes.

Instead, this past autumn saw turmoil, infighting and the collapse of the government in a no-confidence vote in October. A poisonous presidential campaign fought more over personal issues than substantive policy has only increased the public’s desire for a new face, preferably a German one.

“We used to have a German dynasty, which created the modern Romanian state,” said Sorin Ionita, research director of the Romanian Academic Society in Bucharest. King Carol I, who was born in what is now southern Germany, ruled for nearly 50 years, through the turn of the last century, a golden age for Romania. “The Germans today, they benefit from this image in Romania,” Mr. Ionita said.

But the Germans suffered under the Ceausescu dictatorship, a period that received renewed attention this year when Herta Müller, an ethnic German born and raised in Romania, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for her novels about that time. Mr. Ceausescu literally sold ethnic Germans to the West German government for hard currency, several thousand dollars worth for each of them, in return allowing roughly 10,000 to 15,000 of them to emigrate each year from 1978 to 1989.

It was no wonder that many of the Transylvanian Saxons chose to leave after the Iron Curtain fell, including Mr. Johannis’s parents, even though local Romanians demonstrated in the streets for them to stay, recalled Paul Philippi, 86, the honorary chairman of the German Democratic Forum. The exodus reduced a population that once numbered some 800,000 to the small group of mostly elderly people who remain today.

Romanian children now make up 90 percent of the classes at German-language schools, according to the German Democratic Forum, seeing better economic prospects if they can learn the language of the dwindling group that built the city.

But right now, it is the departure of just one German that is on the minds of local citizens, their beloved mayor, who few say they want to lose to national politics. “I would like him to stay for us,” said Aurelia Badila, 58, an accountant, “but for him it is a promotion, and it could be good for Romania.”

Ce se poate cumpara cu 9200 euros?????

Sarah in Romania — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 01:36:08 GMT

Urmariti marturia unei locuitoare din zona Pasajului Basarab (Bucuresti), a carei casa a fost abuziv expropriata si demolata pentru a nu mai sta in calea proiectului.

“Mi-au oferit 9200 de Euro pentru casa”, spune Maria Vasiliu, care locuia pe strada Orhideelor nr. 50, referindu-se la despagubirea infima ce i-a fost oferita pentru demolarea locuintei in care traia cu familia. Cu acesti bani “nu poti cumpara nici un container”. Contul in care au fost virati va ramane insa blocat pana cand Maria Vasiliu va renunta la procesul intentat acum 3 ani de zile Primariei Capitalei, mai spune femeia.

Un interviu realizat de EcoReporter .

Elixirs de jeunesse...

Sarah in Romania — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 01:23:00 GMT

I received this adorable list of things to keep us young from Aylin and Aura today and it came like nectar after a long thirst... how many of these do you have at hand? Butterflies and rainbows are right here and I think we can manage the seashells too. The rest is a work in progress and I ain't getting any older than my 38 (cough! splutter!) years.

This from Aylin (thank you, sweetie!)

Dear Sarah,

As I promised here is the list of things to keep you YOUNG:

Butterflies in your mind
Birds on your lips
A drop of dew in your eyes
Orchids on your cheeks
Clouds under your toes
Coral on your nails
Seashells around your ears
Rivers in your voice
Lillies for your thoughts
Two swans in your heart
Spring for your perfume
Autumn in your hair
Rainbows in your smile

:) That's all.

Isn't that lovely.

Keep Plural Magazine Alive! Sign This

Sarah in Romania — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:29:14 GMT

Dear Everyone,

Please, please PLEEEEEEEEEEEEASE help keep Plural Magazine alive. I couldn't bear it if it died. It is one of the only magazines in the English language for the expat and anglophone community living in Roumania (and available online for those outside the country) which is intelligently written and magnificently translated. Adi Solomon and his colleagues do the most fabulous job and the very idea that such a thing could be axed is simply criminal. Please click on the link below (icr@icr.ro ) and help keep it alive. There are ample amputations going on in Bucharest these days, ample assassinations of beautiful houses, patrimony and respect for history - at least the Roumanian Cultural Institute should be making an effort with the middle word of its title: CULTURE.... something Roumania needs very much to radiate, especially now more than ever before. If the international community cannot understand Roumania, its spirit and its people, made easier and more available by publications such as Plural, then the future looks just as bleak as the present... Please go to the site, drop a line and send on the link to as amny people as you can. We must stop this happening. Thank you.

A major database of Romanian culture and civilization, including more than 1800 articles, 850 authors, thousands of pictures and other useful data, may have to be abandoned because the Romanian Cultural Institute has decided to discontinue the project. You can help to keep it alive and expanding by dropping a line at icr@icr.ro.

Take a trip to Romanian national parks and museums of natural history, discover ancient troves and graves, learn about old customs and beliefs, watch animals that you may never see alive again. All this and much more, from the hunting experience (A Bloody Game) to animal poetry, can be found in the latest issue of www.plural-magazine.com.

Thank you for visiting us!

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so sad...

Sarah in Romania — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:34:00 GMT

Dear Everyone,

I would like to share a story with you I have just heard that has stunned me into gobsmacked mode. Two old school friends, both aged early seventies and living in Bucharest decided to meet for lunch as they often do. One, whom we shall call Raluca, is a Basescu supporter. She was an engineer, lives in a nice part of Bucharest, doesn't have internet and gets her political education from the TV, which is fine except that she only has one channel - the national one - which is of course state run. Voilà, why she thinks Basescu is such hot stuff. The other friend, let's christen her Doina, supported Antonescu and on Sunday will vote for Geoana. Doina was a teacher. She has access to internet which she uses frequently to chat with friends both inside Roumania and outside and she has cable television so she watched lots of different channels in order to judge and choose the party she would support. She has her television on a great deal of the day for two reasons: one, because her husband likes staring at it and two, because she wants to know what is going on in her country. Both educated women, Raluca and Doina, friends for over 50 years, same backgrounds, same friends in common - and yet a complete difference in political leaning and system of information gathering.

Today, Raluca telephoned Doina and said, "I'm sorry, I cannot meet you for lunch because you will not vote Basescu and I do not want to be brainwashed by your television." Huh? Scuse me? Sounds to me like Raluca is the brainwashed one, totally overdosed and head-bashed by state TV while Doina is in fact open to suggestion and able to make her own mind up without any form of brainwashing whatsoever. She simply reads reports on internet and listens to a whole load of different opinions on her cable TV...

Why am I telling you this? Well, because it seems to me that this Sunday is different from past elections. There seems to be much more at stake, for a start. People seem far more desperate than at other times since the lovilutie. Friendships of more than fifty years are disintegrating, there is violence on the streets, political clashes right, left and centre all over the country - just look at recent news: protests in Piata Operei in Timisoara where the banners shouted 'Nu Vom Uita' - any leaning to communism is unwelcome in Timisoara. It didn't help that the PSD supporters were waving red flags and protected by the police - talk about a red rag to a bull which caused choruses of 'Pacat! Pacat de sângele varsat!' Of course the protesters were more than indignant. A red flag is not really the thing to wave in the town centre of Timisoara where the revolution began. The people of Timisoara will not forget their history in a hurry. It is the only region I have visited in Roumania where one sees pride in the country and the nationality. The roads are clean, the buildings are loved and nurtured (and those who try to bung thermopan on a beautiful building get dragged to court by my admirable, fearless and wonderful friend Izza who isn't afraid to stand up for heritage and patrimony)...it's uplifting to see and feel Roumanian pride, for it's rare anywhere else in the country as far as big cities are concerned. Other protests all over the country have seen clashes between Geoana and Basescu supporters... In Piata Universitatii, most of the protesters were young, waved flags with a hole in the middle and sang "Better a tramp than a traitor, better hooligan than dictator, better scamp than activist, better dead than communist", a song that used to be heard during the 1989 revolution and the events that followed. I heard also that the elderly are afraid to go out today and do their shopping because of the simmering anger in the air that could blow up at any moment. What's going on in the country of my heart? What is this sudden political paranoia? Or paranoia in general. Or perhaps that isn't it. Perhaps it isn't paranoia at all. Maybe it's justified fear that so much is in need of change and the rabdari prajite has been kept simmering too long. It's starting to smoke. Have these elections catalysed an explosion of fury and feelings of profound injustice all over the country?

Betrayal. That's the base, I think. For PNL to have merged with PSD (Geoana very much supported by Patriciu...alarm bells), a party linked to communism and Iliescu makes me sick to the stomach and I'm not even Roumanian (even though it pains me to say so)... the wrath on the faces of the people of Timisoara says it all. Indignance and betrayal. How could it happen. How? Choosing between that and Basescu? Hardly a choice. I say it again: Betrayal. Disappointment, regret, grief and terrible sadness for what may have been...and wasn't. Isn't. One corrupt system (interview with Dan Voiculescu, openly admitting that he was a part of it....) has simply replaced another corrupt system...

Just look at what else is going on... this ridiculous story about Basescu clouting a kid in 2004...today he announces he's suing Patriciu (much good it'll do) for 1 leu and Gardianul... political manipulation. Then his wife openly yells at Mircea Dinescu in a letter after he accused the president of hitting his wife. She was never hit by her husband, she claims, and you owe an apology to my children. Who gives a damn? It's all simply political campaigning, and for Basescu to use his own family...well, that's just plain scummy not to mention somewhat desperate. Such pathetic tales of nothingness and stupidity whilst employment is at an all time low along with national morale, not to mention the problems concerning teachers' pay and pensions. And what about the pharmacies, unpaid since June and running on empty...

What matters all the more is that the country is 75 billion euros in debt. The papers claim 29 billion not including future loans, whereas Wikipedia and other reliable sites claim the former amount. There is over 1,000 euros of national debt on the head of every single individual Roumanian...a debt for which they are not responsible but must part with anyway... corruption way up there at the top continues to cripple the country and its brave, courageous people such as Doina Cornea and others like her. Roumania's reputation is tainted by certain minorities that show all Roumanians to be just like them, leaving the international community indifferent to what happens there, the whys and hows of a whole country which is now part of Europe. In addition, buildings of such beauty and heritage are left to rot either by foreign investors who do not know any better or Roumanian owners who should be more than ashamed of themselves, leaving space for new and foul erections across the city scarring it and spitting on history and heritage, insulting memories and respect. Human rights activists are robbed in their own homes (see previous post). Yesterday I received an sms from a very dear friend in Brasov that read 'things are very bad in Roumania today'...that means very, very bad indeed, for she lived through a massive part of 'bad' Roumanian history and always said that if she could survive that she could survive anything. But yesterday, she said things were 'very bad'. I never heard her say that before. And because she said it, I truly believe her.

Country of my heart, what are 'they' doing to you? How dreadful that the sweet country of Eminescu's poetry has come to this.... where will it end and how? I hope things will improve following Sunday's results, but I fear for Roumania and the people I love within it, as well as those I love outside it who watch the events with disbelieving eyes and a great deal of sadness.

How true are the reports of street violence anyway? Someone tell me please if it's over the top journalism or if there really is danger out there. I know in France the papers speak about cars burning in the suburbs and you'd think all hell has let loose when in fact it was one car and a few hoodies drinking Heineken and throwing bottles in an area that's already known by those of the 'banlieue' to be dodgy anyway... One cannot always believe what one reads and probably, in Roumania just before the elections, one should simply stop reading the newspapers.

Here's my advice to you all, my dears: turn off your tv, open a bottle of something, turn it on again for nice films ONLY...do not watch the news or open a newspaper until Monday when this is all over and done with. There's not much one can do about it anyway. Oh, and read this poem which is, as a much-loved friend says, pure jingoism...my reply, 'better to have jingoism than no national pride at all'

Ce-ţi doresc eu ţie, dulce Românie

Ce-ţi doresc eu ţie, dulce Românie,
Ţara mea de glorii, ţara mea de dor.
Braţele nervoase, arma de tărie,
La trecutu-ţi mare, mare viitor!
Fiarbă vinu-n cupe, spumege pocalul,
Dacă fiii-ţi mândri aste le nutresc;
Căci rămâne stânca, deşi moare valul,
Dulce Românie, asta ţi-o doresc.

Vis de răzbunare negru ca mormântul
Spada ta de sânge duşman fumegând,
Şi deasupra idrei fluture cu vântul
Visul tău de glorii falnic triumfând,
Spună lumii large steaguri tricoloare,
Spună ce-i poporul mare, românesc,
Când s-aprinde sacru candida-i vâlvoare,
Dulce Românie, asta ţi-o doresc.

Îngerul iubirii, îngerul de pace,
Pe altarul Vestei tainic surâzând,
Ce pe Marte-n glorii să orbească-l face,
Când cu lampa-i zboară lumea luminând,
El pe sânu-ţi vergin încă să coboare,
Guste fericirea raiului ceresc,
Tu îl strânge-n braţe, tu îi fă altare,
Dulce Românie, asta ţi-o doresc.

Ce-ţi doresc eu ţie, dulce Românie,
Tânără mireasă, mamă cu amor!
Fiii tăi trăiască numai în frăţie
Ca a nopţii stele, ca a zilei zori,
Viaţa în vecie, glorii, bucurie,
Arme cu tărie, suflet românesc,
Vis de vitejie, fală şi mândrie,
Dulce Românie, asta ţi-o doresc!

Where did Eminescu's dulce Romanie go? Will someone tell me? How could it change so much? Or has it? For me, there are still pockets of it all over the place, but for most, it no longer exists if indeed, it ever did.

Oh, I'm so very sad. And then I made myself even sadder. We went to the Arte site (see link on right of page) and watched the amazing but appalling Kapitalism - Notre Recette Secrete by Alexandru Solomon which you, too, can see HERE (if it stops after 7 minutes, be patient and wait for it to reconnect). We sat and cringed as we witnessed the likes of Ion Nicolae, Dinu Patriciu, Dan Voiculescu and Gigi Becali to name but a few talking about their 'businesses' as bold as you like with not a scrap of conscience... Dan Diaconescu (who's a saint in comparison to the others) summed up Roumania very well, explaining who'd left and who'd stayed and the film ends with the question 'qui va payer l'addition?' This shocking documentary on the corruption of Roumania has been broadcast not only in Roumania and France but also in Germany - it makes your skin crawl, and I ask myself how it can be possible that people like Patriciu continue to walk this earth owing the millions he owes from the Rompetrol scandal and always manages to avoid being brought to book for it, for example. The fact that he is so blatently connected with Geoana is scarier still. 'The country,' says Diaconescu, 'has fallen asleep.' It is 'ankylosé' - paralysed. Perhaps this week's protests and political clashes show that Roumania is, in fact, beginning to stir....?

Unification Day - 1st December

Sarah in Romania — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:00:21 GMT

Expropriation victims - outrageous

Sarah in Romania — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:44:00 GMT

Look, everyone...look what's happened to people expropriated at Basarab to make way for new construction... it is unbelievable. I wonder whether my coffee is too strong and I am hallucinating. The couple in the film (click on blue link above) were thrown out of their home on 24th September of this year. They were told the day before that their home would be demolished tomorrow, were cursed, beaten up by the police and terrified. Today they are living in an outhouse that served for their pigs and chickens. They are senior citizens, incidentally. They were compensated (how much?) but not rehoused.

Click here for another story.

If anyone has any more info on these situations, I would be grateful to receive them.

Doina Cornea victim of burglary

Sarah in Romania — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:11:00 GMT

Such shameful foulness... Doina Cornea robbed???? It's like robbing Mother Teresa. How can anyone do such a thing??? Such a brave and determined woman who fought so hard against the oppression, cruelty, mental paralysis and cultural decapitation under communism...burgled????

I don't have much faith in the police - none actually - but I hope if they catch them, these scumbags will receive the worse punishment possible.

I have been reading some of the offensive comments in different newspapers regarding this appalling crime to such a wonderful woman, and do you know what? I am ashamed. So ashamed of a bunch of people who continue to believe the stains splurged all over her reputation under the regime, the lies, the total tripe attached to her name. One comment was, 'Burgled? Bravo!' another, 'Cornea? Didn't even know she was still alive', and one more 'she deserved it'... What the hell goes through the minds of people who say such things? Do they not know what she did to preserve a modicom of dignity in a country falling apart and run by thugs? Do they not know the abuse she suffered at the hands of these 'thugs' (a term too kind)? Do they not know that she never squealed, never collaborated, never put a single being in danger - quite the opposite. Do they not know that she wxas co-founder of the Group of Social Dialogue and is an advocate for free speech and knowledge? How dare she continue to be slandered and how dare anyone do her such harm. She is now an elderly lady who remained in Roumania despite everything. She would have been better off leaving....

Anyone who does not know the life of Doina Cornea the human rights activist, I urge you to go and do some research. Read until you are blue in the face or have to prop your eyes open with matchsticks. She should be martyred along with others like her - too few others, sadly.

The below article from the Clujeanul newspaper.

Doina Cornea, călcată de hoţi. Poliţia - în dificultate

30 noiembrie 2009

Doina Cornea, călcată de hoţi

Casa Doinei Cornea din Cluj-Napoca a fost spartă, duminică, după ce a fost forţată uşa de la intrare, din casă fiind furaţi între 4.000 şi 4.500 de lei. Purtătorul de cuvânt al Poliţiei Cluj, Gina Pop, a declarat că locuinţa Doinei Cornea a fost spartă, fiind forţată uşa de la intrare.

Potrivit sursei citate, Doinea Cornea nu era acasă în momentul în care i-a fost spartă locuinţa, incidentul fiind anunţat la 112 de către fiul Doinei Cornea. Gina Pop a afirmat că din locuinţă au dispărut între 4.000 şi 4.500 de lei. Leontin Juhas, fiul Doinei Cornea, a declarat că duminică, imediat după ora 12.00, a ieşit la o plimbare cu mama lui şi nu au lipsit de acasă mai mult de o oră.

"Am ieşit la o scurtă plimbare între 12,30 şi 13,30. Cineva a spart uşa, a golit sertarele răscolind peste tot şi a luat aproximativ 4.000 - 4.500 de lei. Mama mea tocmai luase pensia", a spus Leontin Juhas. Conform sursei citate, când s-au întors de la plimbare au constatat că atât poarta, cât şi uşa casei erau deschise.

"La revenirea acasă am văzut poarta deschisă larg, uşa deschisă cam de o palmă şi am ştiut imediat că s-a întâmplat ceva pentru că eu închisesem uşa. În casă totul era vraişte. Am sunat la 112, au venit de la Poliţie, au căutat amprente şi au făcut fotografii, dar se pare că hoţul sau hoţii au folosit mănuşi pentru că s-au descoperit puţine urme", a mai spus Juhas.

La faţa locului, s-a deplasat o echipă de poliţişti criminalişti, fiind începută o anchetă pentru prinderea autorului sau autorilor jafului.

Detalii pe Mediafax.ro

Ancheta in desfasurare, la Cluj, unde politistii incearca sa ii gaseasca pe cei care au pradat casa Doinei Cornea! Hotii au patruns duminica in locuinta in timp ce proprietara era plecata la plimbare cu fiul ei.

Misiunea politistilor este dificila. Desi spargerea a fost data ziua in amiaza mare, nu exista martori. In plus, in zona nu exista nici camere de supraveghere care sa ofere alte detalii. Criminalistii au au luat amprente, au facut fotografii si au cautat probe in casa jefuita. Se pare insa ca hotul sau hotii au folosit manusi, pentru ca oamenii legii au descoperit destul de putine urme.

Book recommendation - "Dracula is Dead"

Sarah in Romania — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:32:00 GMT

Dear Everyone,

I cannot comment on the article below as I haven't read the book. However, London seems to be quite taken with it and it's reported to be the long overdue reference to Roumania we've all been waiting for. If it's a history book by which I mean a REAL one, then anyone delving as I write, please let me know and I'll get to it. Rosapepe was a 'wishy washy' US ambassador to Roumania. David Funderburk, I'm told, was by far the very best. The country certainly needs some positive and optimistic publicity. We could well do without more Antony Bourdains on the subject of Roumania. Even the last Lonely Planet didn't do much for Roumania's reputation. Perhaps 'Dracula is Dead' will be kinder? The authors say that Roumania has emerged from the traumas of communism and repression to be a thriving 'New Italy', though, and I'm really not sure how complimentary that is! For you to judge, my dears.

The London Launch of ‘DRACULA IS DEAD’
the book by Sheilah Kast and Jim Rosapepe that finally lays the Count to
rest

On Monday, 23 November 2009, the infamous Count Dracula was finally put to
rest in a ceremony taking place at the Ratiu Foundation / Romanian Cultural
Centre in London.

It was not exactly garlic and stakes through the heart that annihilated him,
but an extraordinary book written by former US ambassador to Romania, Jim
Rosapepe, and his wife, award-winning journalist Sheilah Kast. A photo
gallery documenting the event is available here
<http://www.romanianculturalcentre.org.uk/photos/2009/11/book-launch-dracula
-is-dead-by-sheilah-kast-and-jim-rosapepe/> .

The book, appropriately called ‘Dracula is Dead’, takes readers on a
memorable tour of Romania – past, present, and future. Through a series of
colourful vignettes, the authors introduce us to the people, places, and
history of Romania, transporting us to a vibrant country many know little
about.

The authors believe that when people think about Romania, what most often
comes to mind are images of Dracula’s fog-enshrouded castle in Transylvania,
bleak orphanages, and an oppressed people reeling from Nicolae Ceausescu’s
regime. They wanted to set the record straight, presenting a thriving nation
that has overcome centuries of tyranny to emerge as a true success story
with a bright future – that’s why they call Romania the New Italy.

In a conversation with Nicolae Ratiu, host of the evening and Chairman of
the Ratiu Foundation, Jim and Sheilah confessed that their motivation for
filling the void in the literature about Romania was the fact that they
believe the time has come for people to stop putting Dracula and Romania in
the same equation. Jim and Sheilah also wanted to explain the impact of the
fall of Communism in Europe and to help the public understand the growth of
democracy throughout the world.

Nicolae Ratiu congratulated the authors on their achievement, wishing them
many more successes on the forthcoming launch of the book on the Romanian
market. He then invited all present to a traditional Romanian foods buffet,
accompanied by Romanian wine.

Spicing things up and adding an extra dimension to the event, Romanian
violin genius Bogdan Vacarescu and accordionist extraordinaire Zivorad
Nikolic enchanted the audience with a toe-tapping, dance-inducing selection
of Romanian and Balkan tunes.

Not only Dracula was laid to rest this evening, people also danced on his
grave.

// // // // // // // //

‘DRACULA IS DEAD: How Romanians Survived Communism, Ended it, and Emerged
since 1989 as the New Italy’ by Sheilah Kast and Jim Rosapepe
Hardcover, 424 pages, 32 black-and-white photographs, 12 maps, Bancroft
Press (November 2009).
ISBN 978-1-890862-65-7.
For more details and to purchase a signed copy, please go to
www.DraculaIsDead.com <http://www.draculaisdead.com/>

One house dies as two more are racked with sobs

Sarah in Romania — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 23:32:00 GMT

Horror. Absolute horror. It doesn't matter whether there's an election or not, does it. I should stop kidding myself. People don't behave any better even during election campaigns. There has been yet MORE destruction in Bucharest. Yet more obliteration of heritage, beauty and a nation's respect for its own history. Where this time? Firstly, str. E. Grigorescu nr 1 just opposite Icoanei Park. I had hoped that there at least it would be safe. But no. And why should it be anyway when just around the corner, the bulldozers have been more than busy this last month or two. This below article is from Hotnews:

O alta bucatica din Bucurestiul de altadata a cazut victima buldozerului: Eremia Grigorescu, nr. 1

de Catiusa Ivanov HotNews.ro

Miercuri, 18 noiembrie 2009, 17:17 Economie | Imobiliar

Demolare in Eremia Grigorescu

Foto: Observatorul Urban

Distrugerea Bucurestiului de altadata continua. De aceasta data, victima buldozerelor este o casa din secolul XIX de pe strada Eremia Grigorescu, numarul 1, chiar in coasta Parcului Ioanid. Imobilul nu este monument, dar se afla in zona protejata Pitar Mos, zona care ar trebui sa fie pastrata ca atare.

Ca in multe cazuri, si de aceasta data distrugerea patrimoniului se face cu acordul autoritatilor. Investitorul are autorizatie de demolare de la Primaria Sectorului 1 si un aviz de la Directia de Cultura a municipiului Bucuresti. Reprezentantii asociatiei Salvati Bucurestiul spun ca autorizatia de demolare este ilegala.

"Demolarea se face in baza autorizatiei de desfiintare nr. 90/6/18.05.2009 emisa de Primaria Sectorului 1. Intrucat imobilul se afla in raza de protectie (mai putin de 100 metri) a monumentului istoric clasa A Parcul Ioanid, pentru emiterea autorizatiei de desfiintare era nevoie de un aviz de la Ministerul Culturii, Cultelor si Patrimoniului National. Un astfel de aviz nu exista. Directia de Cultura Bucuresti a emis avizul pentru desfiintare, desi nu era competenta sa o faca: competenta sa se reduce la zonele protejate ale monumentelor clasa B", se spune intr-un comunicat trimis de asociatie.

Investitorul are aprobat pe acest teren un Plan Urbanistic de Detaliu.
Citeşte mai multe despre strada eremia grigorescu • campania nu distrugeti bucurestii de altadata • parcul ioanid

And you thought that was bad...I'm not even half way through yet.

Let's walk up calea Dorobanti to str. Roma, 46... It stands there deserted and what a beautiful building it is in neoromanesc style. The owner received authorisation to demolish this lovely piece of history back in 2007 and to replace it with a five floored apartment building. The authorisation remains in situ and the villa still stands there waiting but for how long. The legislation is 100% guilty. Guilty, guilty, guilty. Completely and utterly. These houses are in protected zones and yet how can it be that they are not protected from disfigurement, auto-destruction (the case of str. Roma, 46 which is left to decompose and others who mysteriously end up victims of arson) or demolition. They may not be historic monuments but they are nevertheless protected. Hotnews again reports on this crime against Roumanian patrimony:

Nu distrugeti Bucurestii de altadata

Bloc in templul linistii de pe strada Roma

de Catiusa Ivanov HotNews.ro

Vineri, 19 iunie 2009, 18:44 Actualitate | Esenţial

Casa din Strada Roma 46

Foto: HotNews.ro

De cate ori v-ati plimbat prin spatele Caii Dorobantilor, pe stradutele cu nume de capitale strajuite de castani si tei si ati admirat vilutele cochete construite inainte de primul razboi mondial si in perioada interbelica? Din nefericire, aceasta zona e amenintata cu distrugerea, ca multe altele.

Un astfel de exemplu este o casuta neoromaneasca cu parter si etaj de pe strada Roma, nr. 46. In 2007, proprietarul a obtinut aviz si autorizatie de demolare, iar potrivit presedintelui Directiei de Cultura Bucuresti din cadrul Ministerului Culturii, in locul acestei case va fi construit un bloc cu 5 etaje, existand déjà o autorizatie de construire in acest sens. Vila din Roma 46 inca sta in picioare, dar nu se stie pentru cat timp.

De vina pentru acest macel este legislatia din Romania care protejeaza doar casele monument, nu si zonele traditionale ale Capitalei, asa zisele zone protejate, unde sunt cladiri foarte frumoase, care nu sunt listate monumente.

In anul 2000 s-a aprobat un studiu care a identificat in Bucuresti 98 de zone cu valoare arhitecturala deosebita unde teoretic interventiile sunt limitate. In practica, cu aprobarile necesare, se poate face aproape orice. In urma cu doi ani, Primaria Capitalei a initiat un studiu care ar fi putut opri macelul, dar, din nefericire acesta nu a fost finalizat.

Studiul prevedea inventarierea tuturor caselor din zonele protejate si impartirea pe trei categorii a acestora: nedemolabile, case pe care se poate interveni partial si case demolabile, in functie de calitatea arhitecturala si memoriala.

Anul trecut au fost inventariate 12 zone printre care Magheru, Calea Grivitei, portiunea din spatele Pietii Dorobanti, Icoanei si Lascar Catargiu. Cu restul de 86 de zone insa nu s-a mai intamplat nimic de aproape un an.

Gheorghe Patrascu, arhitectul sef al Capitalei, ne-a declarat ca studiul va continua si in acest an, probabil cu inca un pachet de 12 zone. „Suntem in procedura de achizitie. Probabil intr-o luna se va incheia licitatia pentru acest proiect”. Cu toate acestea, pana se va finaliza studiul, va trece cel putin un an. In ritmul acesta, vor fi detaliate toate cele 86 de zone in circa opt ani, timp in care distrugerea patrimoniului va continua.

Episodul 1 al campaniei: Cum este lasata sa moara o casa boiereasca din inima Capitalei
Citeşte mai multe despre gheorghe patrascu • campania nu distrugeti bucurestii de altadata

Just as you thought things couldn't get any worse...I'm afraid they do. Where this time? The Spiru Haret Museum at str. G. Manu nr. 7. Despite the fact that it is in a protected zone, this house, once a museum in memory of the celebrated historian and art critic, was severely vandalised and has been left for the last ten years to decompose with a little help from some friendly and well-fed gypsies (one just visible on second pix further down) who have moved in completely unchecked and really added to the chronic condition of this beautiful building. I think of Adriana at this moment. After the death of Haret and then his wife in 1941, it was sold to the Institutul National al Cooperatiei. All the documents, furniture, manuscripts etc were donated with the stipulation of establishing a memorial museum, which indeed went ahead. After the war, it became the property of the state (Sfatul Popular al Capitalei - now the City Hall). In 1956 it was transferred to the Ministry of Culture and then to the Minister of Education in 1986. See Hotnews once more who must be congratulated on excellent info-sharing and superb journalism. Thank you very much.

After the revolution, it was owned by Centrocop (for associations of producers of wine or textiles etc). They sold it in 2001 to an individual buyer who, in his turn, sold it on in 2005 to a new company, Invest Lux Construct, for 1,140,000 euro. Hmm...not bad, when in 2001, it only sold for $610,000. Massive profit.

Invest Lux's intentions became all too clear a year later when they obtained the necessary construction authorisation for a seven floor block of twenty apartments over the Spiru Haret Museum. It should have been protected by the minister of culture who was obviously a very liberal one. At some point, the house was conveniently removed from page 111 of the catalogue of national monuments.

There is a video somewhere on internet showing the inside of the house, the very generously padded and half naked gypsy squatting there (ce burta are!), what has become of this beautiful house and...and...but I cannot find it for now. i'll keep looking.

Will this never end? Two houses awaiting their beheading and one more just recently killed to add to the list. There is no ceasing the decapitation of the culture of Roumania. None at all. Stefan Damian never seems to be far from any dodgy deal nor miraculously obtained building/demolition authorisation no matter how protected the zone nor the house itself may be. It makes me want to howl. These houses continue to scream until their screams turn to exhausted whimpers...and then they are killed. Cruelly and with no pity. They are left to waste away in the most abject agony. How can a nation do this to its beauty? How is it that this is allowed to continue. When I ask, I am told 'asa e'...no! Nu e! It has to come to a close. People have to stop lining their pockets from the blood money of these houses particularly since we know exactly who those people are. Exactly. And they have no shame. They are ignorant morons with no education, no compassion, no culture and absolutely zilch respect.

Protests continue such as this one on 26th November after the demolition of the dear house on Eremia Grigorescu, opposite Icoanei Park, one of Rosie and my favourite haunts (which now forbids dogs with signs everywhere but the maidanezii lying peacefully in the bushes or stretched out on the grass don't bother to read such tripe) and there are others - many others - requiems, funeral marches for these grieved for once-homes all over Bucharest, but particularly in the centre of the city. These marches do sometimes have an effect. After 26th November, E. Grigorescu nr.3, a palace dating from XIXc was classed a historic monument category B....that gives a little hope for the preservation of other 'obisnuite' houses from the XIX and beginning of XX c in the Icoanei area. Enough is enough. The scars are already far too deep and multiple and should never have happened at all.

Whoever wins the election next Sunday, I only pray that they will call a better ministry of culture who cannot be bought nor bribed, a Minister who will not allow the murderings of a heritage and will not be tempted by spaga depending on the side of the bed he rose from or the discussion he had with his wife at breakfast. I have little hope of that, but I cling to a thread that comes from an ever-so-vague belief in human nature, however stupid and naive I know that to be.

Saturday morning thoughts

Sarah in Romania — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:39:00 GMT

Dear Everybody,

I must admit that I have kind of given up following the elections somewhat... it seems to be getting rather silly and I don't know quite how much of what one reads, one can actually take to be truth. So, what have we had lately? Everyone is backing Geoana in next Sunday's vote. Becali just said that his New Generation Party gives its total support which will make a HUGE difference! Geoana must surely be veeeeeeery grateful to Gigi and have added him to his Christmas card list. Then there's more stuff about Dan Nica, additional quarrels about V. Blaga and will he continue as interior minister now that his interim term in office has come to an end... so far, the decree is suspended until the court rules to annul it and then it can be appealed at the High Court of Justice... I thought I understood a little of how things were done, but there, I am baba. I don't get how a government can be without an interior minister during elections, even if he's an unpopular one, since the Interior Ministry itself oversees and organises them, right? Forgive my stupidity. I just can't get my head around it, and I don't think I'll spend much more energy trying.

What else? Er... The Roumanian Police said it drafted 408 criminal files on Saturday following investigations into 453 suspicions of multiple voting in the European Parliament elections in Romania on June 7, 2009, which were notified by the country’s election authority two weeks ago. No surprise there. At every election, very precocious new borns have been putting their crosses on the ballot papers and miraculously, some deceased have returned from the other side to do the same. Why are people so stunned? I suspect that there were even some politically astute maidanezii who went to the polls and gave their paws for thought. It is impossible to think of this in any other way than cynicism and a certain amount of ridicule since, really, it happens every single time, whether the election is presidential or for mayor. One shrugs. Asta e. Ce vrei? Ce pot se fac? Indeed.

This week, I have had emails from good Roumanian friends both in and outside the country telling me they will not vote tomorrow. Normally, I would have thrown up my hands in horror with declarations of "national pride" and "making a difference", "without a vote you have no voice" and "take the future in your hands and do something". Not this time, despite an internal battle between I, myself and me. Someone said that the whole thing was political mafioso and thus it didn't matter who you voted for anyway. The dye was cast even before the polling centres were put to use.

The very idea that PSD and PNL could possibly merge in the first place to form a so-called coalition is such an appalling notion. And how useful will Klaus Johannis actually be? Another comment from a very bright and intelligent friend of mine who knows what he's talking about - Klaus is being used. He will be nothing other than a marionette and handy because of his connections with Germany.... is it true, do you think? Can it be? I'm unfortunately sure that it can.

I still do not understand how Antonescu could have lost. He is not the ideal candidate (does one exist?) but he is not connected to Iliescu and he seems a good man. I like his rhetoric, he is cultured, obviously well-educated. Would that have been enough? Certainly everyone I know bar two intended to vote for him because the other two were out of the question and the rest only laughable.

So, back to the voting next Sunday. Will you go and cast your vote? If so, how do you feel about doing that? If not, likewise. It's not much of a choice, I guess. The sadness I feel this morning on reading the papers and all the silly things written, stupid slander, stories that maybe some people actually believe - Basescu slapping a child back in 2004 really takes the biscuit. I can't stand the man but to fake such a video is nothing short of 'bac à sable' behaviour and to imagine people will fall for it is simply insulting to anyone's intelligence - has rather taken its toll on me, so I can well imagine how some of you must feel. What will it take to make a difference? What will it take? Who will it take? And how long...?

News from Bucharest

Sarah in Romania — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:02:00 GMT

Dear Everybody,

Well, things are happening thick and fast in the city of my heart... Firstly, Geoana says he will name Klaus Johannis (supported by PNL and PSD for the post) as Prime Minister. Then what happens? C.V. Tudor, the guy everyone knows and loves as a solid upholder of the community and white as the driven snow, far from any suspicion of telling porkies for heaven's sake, accuses Johannis of being an 'obscure German with criminal files'. Not just that. He goes further still. He says he is a "secret agent". Gasp!

Asked how he could support his allegations, he said that "in his party there are several generals from the Romanian secret services, who gave him the information." Right. Okaaaaaaaaaaaay.... I believe whole-heartedly that CVT has some very dodgy characters in his party, guilty of a massive array of crimes under Ceasca's regime. That doesn't surprise me at all...

Watch this space for the next exciting installment. I shouldn't even giggle. This is a country's politics. And not just any country. A country that is a teensy bit mine. How shameful that this kind of accusation from such an evidently unreliable source should even be considered fit for print. Klaus Johannis will be good for Roumania. I am sure of it.

Here's the article in Roumanian from the Bucharest Herald:

Europarlamentarul si liderul partidului Romania Mare, Corneliu Vadim Tudor a lansat o ipoteza extrem de grava, luni seara la Reralitatea TV, spunand ca Primarul Sibiului, Klaus Johannis, sustinut de PNL si PSD pentru functia de prim ministru este agent secret.

Intrebat cum isi dovedeste aceasta afirmatie, CV Tudor a precizat ca in partidul sau exista mai multi generali, din cadrul serviciilor secrete romanesti, care i-au furnizat aceasta informatie.

"Crin Antonescu a primit ordin să-l numeasă pe Klaus Johannis, însă această numire ar fi o catastrofă pentru Executivul din România. Johannis este un sas obscur, cu dosare penale", a spus Vadim Tudor.

The photo does the tour...

Sarah in Romania — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:42:00 GMT

That dreadful photo has toured the international press today. It was taken at the Rroma village of Sintesti's voting centre, incidentally.

You can find it in the Greek papers - same suspects, same ballot box, different pose. How is the reputation of Roumanians ever going to change from the usual opinion that they are all a bunch of gypsies, if this is an example of the press. I wouldn't mind if there was a subtitle beneath the photo, expressing that here is a family from the Rroma community out voting. It would even be beneficial to Roumania, showing that it is a democratic country where the minorities vote and are included in political life. That would be perfect. But nope. This one comes from Yahoo news.

The Chinese Press however, should be complimented, since they show typical Roumanians at the ballot placing their votes. This is the picture that should have done a tour of the international press (see left), and not the ones you can see clicking on the links above and the previous post below.

Someone just commented that perhaps the journalist didn't have a great choice of pix. Isn't that actually what journalists do? They go to wherever the action is, they take pix and they interview. The journalist in question is French. How come a Chinese paper can find a decent picture and a French one cannot.

Oh, I'm so disgusted I do not have the energy to write anymore....

Rusine, AOL Actualité

Sarah in Romania — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:21:00 GMT

Dear Everyone,

As upset as we may be by the election results this evening (54% of eligible voters went out and exercised their rights of democracy today), I am even more upset by AOL Actualité who give an account of the days vote along with a photo by Stringer (who I'm sure didn't mean for his pix to be used in this way, but if he did then shame on him, too) of gypsies at the ballot-box as if they stand for the whole of the country...I am appalled, outraged, profoundly ashamed of French AOL, who should know better than to pull their ignorance out from under a bushel and show it off for the whole world to see... Rusine, AOL Actualité! Rusine....

Because of copyrite, I can't even copy-paste, so please go see it for yourselves. It's the second photo down should you need telling. I would be grateful if you would leave a comment below here so that I can collect them all and then tell AOL Actualité exactly what I think of them on behalf of the country of my heart. Or, if you're feeling really cross and humiliated, then please be my guest and go write to them yourselves on their signalling abuse page (which it is since racism is a total abuse): http://services.aol.fr/avertir/

The article itself is very informative and well written. What a shame that it is ruined by such offensive imagery. That photo should be removed and pronto. I don't care if it is there to show that gypsies have the right to vote. In that case, there should be a subtitle beneath it. It's blatently ignorant to have used it without context and whoever allowed it should be dragged across the coals.

Election results

Sarah in Romania — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:14:00 GMT

Dear Everyone,

So, its official. I just read Romania Libera and Hot News.... and I want to cry. How could Antonescu not be going on into the second round??? What were voters thinking of? Not much, obviously. From what I read, at 19h this evening in Romania (seven hours ahead of Connecticut time, so all this happened two hours ago), the results excluding that of foreign voters for whom the count ends tomorrow at 17h, seem pretty indisputable: Basescu with 32.8%, Geoana at 31.7% and Antonescu at 21.8%. Of course it goes without saying that Basescu will be slaughtered in the second round and thank heavens for that... but by the wrong man.

This from the BBC:

BBC News: Romanian election rivals 'facing run-off'

Romania's centre-right President Traian Basescu has won the first round of the country's presidential election but faces a run-off, exit polls suggest. He got 33-34 per cent of the vote, the polls said, well short of the 50 per cent needed to win outright. Social Democrat Mircea Geoana was second with 31-32 per cent, BBC News reports.

The vote is expected to end a political crisis since the fall of PM Emil Boc's centre-right government in October. Since then Romania has been in the hands of a caretaker government. The IMF has delayed the payment of part of its bail-out loan to the Eastern European country because of its current lack of effective government.

While casting their votes, the two frontrunners said the election was one of the most important the recession-hit country has had to face. Twelve candidates in total were standing. If the exit poll findings are confirmed, a second round will be held on 6 December.

A referendum was also held to decide whether to scrap one of the two chambers of parliament and reduce the number of deputies. However, there have been reports of potential fraud. More voters than normal appeared to be casting their vote at special centres set up for citizens who had been forced to vote away from their normal residences because they were travelling, the Associated Press news agency reported.

More than 305,000 people were expected to vote at these type of locations according to the Electoral Committee. However Adriean Videanu, the country's economy minister said election authorities in Moara Vlasie were "overwhelmed" because of "electoral tourism", AP reported.

This is Romania's first presidential election as a member of the European Union. More than 18 million people were eligible to vote. Mr Basescu, who has been president for five years, wants a mandate to overcome what he says is the blocking of his political reforms by opposition parties. Mr Geoana - a former US ambassador and foreign affairs minister - is offering voters an ambitious economic stimulus package.

The winner will appoint a new premier and have an influence on long-delayed reforms aimed at bringing the country up to EU standards.

Analysts say corruption is still widespread in Romania, nearly three years after the country joined the EU.

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And if anyone wants to know why I like Antonescu so much, please read this article below from financiarul.ro which just about sums it up:

Antonescu: I candidate because I have to, because I do not want to vote Geoana to get rid of Basescu

21 Noiembrie 2009

Candidate of the National Liberal Party (PNL) in the presidential elections Crin Antonescu stated on Friday evening, during the final debate with Traian Basescu and Mircea Geoana, that he chose to candidate because “he has to”, but also because he does not wish to vote Geoana to get rid of Basescu.

“I also candidate because I want to be Romania’s president, because I had to. I know it is a risking formula, but this is the truth. This “had to” is not connected to the people behind me, to people pushing me into it, it is not linked to duties to the others I cannot pay otherwise than by becoming president of Romania…

I cannot fail to candidate now because I cannot be put in the situation as in 2000 when I voted Ion Iliescu to get rid of Vadim, or in the situation in 2004, when I voted Basescu to get rid of Nastase and I do not want to vote Geoana now to get rid of Basescu. That’s why I candidate”, said Antonescu. As well, he explained he does not wish to reach a situation when his child, when a grown up, will keep him accountable for the fact that he did not change the Romanian politics, when he could, that he “took the liberty” not to candidate in the presidential elections of Nov. 22.

“I am part of a generation with a lot of questions and a lot of answers, who also suffered the lack of freedom and the lack of truth and the lack of dignity and, last but not least, the lack of prosperity or at least material decency. 20 years have passed since freedom was conquered first in Timisoara (west), then in Bucharest and then in the entire country at the most expensive price, a freedom for which people gave their lives, and children are asking their parents:

“What have you done then? Why some people, who could have had our age now, had to die?” And my generation should answer: “We kept silent. We had to. We couldn’t. We had no other choice”. After 20 years we are asked what have we done in these 20 years, when we could, when we were not constrained and today we are tempted to throw the guilt on the others and say we are disappointed (…)”, PNL candidate to the presidential elections also said.

Crin Antonescu underlined he is not an ambitious man and not “keen” to attain the “peak of his political career at Cotroceni”. “I am a normal man who entered politics and on behalf of all normal people, of all good sense people, I will candidate”, stressed Antonescu.
On the other hand, PNL president said there is the possibility that during the electoral debate on Friday evening “figures and plans” will be discussed, adding that a president should not talk in figures because we have “kilometers on end of motorway on the paper, we have thousands of plans on the paper and people live in reality and not on paper”.