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After repeating what’s (still) irking me about #corruption and the way it’s tackled and perceived, I get to summarize the events of the past few days (since Executive Order / Ordinance 13) and provide you with my much unwanted and unneeded opinion.

Romania seems increasingly divided between the “bad teeth alliance”, pro-government and protesting against the president Iohannis, and a massive, more numerous, happily protesting dancing flash mob who won’t take “corruption is bullshit” for an answer. What irks me is that in the international media coverage, so much is lost in translation.

There was a recent showdown in Oscars documentaries between Colectiv and My Octopus Teacher. I rooted for Collective and it reminded me of a long running Italian TV series from my childhood, La Piovra. Caracatita a castigat si traducerea in romana pe FataCarte.

A recent Op-Ed in New York Times seems to have caused a fair amount of consternation in both Romania as well as among my diaspora friends. Ion could equally be Ion Iliescu, recently green-lighted to be re-investigated in the “Mineriada” file, Adrian Nastase, the suicidal former premier and failed presidential candidate who had become the first test case of prosecutorial overreach in the case of an elite aparatchik, or even Patrick Basham, not afraid to confront the warm, fuzzy racism/scepticism/antiziganism-fuelled consensus that Romania is “doing something”.

Hotnews has previously interviewed Romanian diaspora people, which we covered, and we have also been profiling others in the diaspora ourselves. This interview is somewhat new in that the interviewee is "returned" - and we expect to be many more like him in the coming years.

#WTA has recently confused #Romania anti-#corruption #rezist #protest with people coming out in the streets to welcome and congratulate Simona Halep in her recent Grand Slam triumph (gsp-tnr). It’s not only foreigners not getting what’s going on, but even some of those protesting.

Un crud paradox al societatilor avansate este ca pe masura ce devii economic si "free-time-wise" mai capabil de a avea copii (adica te apropii de varsta pensionarii), devii incapabil biologic. Asta-i motivul pentru care un numar atat de mare de Conservatori – inclusiv fömei – se pronunta impotriva drepturilor reproductive ale femeii (avortul) si sprijina adoptiile internationale de zici ca viata lor depinde de asta.

Long time ago some band came up with a song that was supposed to dissipate fears and bring back the magic of the enchanted evening: don’t fear the reaper. It seems that my friends are now afraid that PSD will bring the amnesty law.

When discussing corruption, my view is that Romanian corruption is not much higher than elsewhere, when comparing apples to apples. It irks me to hear people who try to motivate their compatriots with calls to make “corruption” like and idyllic West, because in so doing, they prove they do not know much about the West (or they have misunderstood what they’ve learned), and are also selling short their own country.

Am discutat intr-un articol recent pasul inapoi facut de recentele reformele legislative din Romania. Iata ca ambasada US si UK intervin si ele AFP: US ambassador sparks row over criticism of Romania law reforms.

It seems as if every new PSD government has to go through a baptism of fire. The latest such event has luckily resulted in no deaths. One of the club founders (or former co-owners) is Catalin Botezatu, which translated word-by-word is Baptized, Cat.

In Romanian, “firea”, the articulated form of the noun fire, is part of many idioms. It is also the name of the current Bucharest Mayor, who recently had to shamefully backtrack on announcing the winner for a logo contest, due to a likely case of plagiarism. This fickle-mindedness seems to be common to her entire party, PSD, struggling as it is with the conflict between its deep desire to "forget and forgive" cases of corruption and the public commitments, forced by weeks or #rezist protests to the contrary.

I have in the past voted for the (former) President Basescu and even raised to his defence (more or less) when he was accused of slapping an impertinent child. Yet his latest display of inconsistency is more than I can bear.

It is only natural for a government representing the most religious people in Europe to implement mercy, this unabashedly Christian concept. I’ve just learned from my former classmates that the amnesty ordinance (which is really an executive order / edict / decree “emanating” from the government and bypassing the legislature) that formed the object of the past week’s protests has been adopted. Precum in cer asa si pe pamant.

Ever since I have decided to focus on English language blogs, I find every now and then news about Romania that beg to be commented. I never have enough time to do so, but today, as I read about the chewing gum thieves, I shall make an exception.

When it comes to presidents, I prefer them quiet and subdued, but when I look back, I kept voting for the loud ones. I’m much like a woman who claims she’s looking for good guys but constantly ends up with bad boys. I’m not the only one, judging by the recent results of US elections. So I’m hurrying to finish this article, in a McDonald’s with non-working Wi-Fi, fueled by their free coffee promotion with only 30 minutes left to go. 

The fatalities count has gone North of 30, and I try to parse all the data, info and opinions that are squirting on the Internet much like the absent fire extinguishers should have in the infernal basement.

A recent “viral” video clip shows the Romanian president, Klaus Iohannis, moving the Union Jack (the UK flag), out of the way as he talks to reporters. This act of “elimination” is probably the least interesting of the ones discussed herein.

Traim momente de cumpana. Eu de pilda aproape imi pierdusem domeniul si numai cu eforturi supraomenesti am reusit sa-l resuscitez :D. In acelasi timp, ctp declara ca el e fericit ca se vorbeste atata de Romania, chiar daca nu de bine..

One of the things I've been doing with my life lately is moving to a more “mobile lifestyle” (or “nomadic”, as a friend has described it), which includes digitizing my paper archives and moving everything online. Obviously, this involves some sort of encryption before moving stuff to the cloud, but for now, let's have a look at my old passports, which somehow makes me talk about representative democracy and its inherent corruption.