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Despite this being one of the reasons I started this blog, the more I try to engage in online debates, the angrier and more unsatisfied I get. Before I decide to completely and always avoid them, it may be worth looking into why they are this way.

Blegoo, previously profiled and published here, took some time off from shovelling to write an article for this blog, as a guest. I’m publishing it here as encouragement (longer version), with the spelling mistakes left uncorrected but listed at the end, and also detailing there the formatting work I (still) had to do.

As I’ve been getting closer to a long-planned trip to Europe, I had to face the prospect of more hostility and less-than-enlightened assumptions related to my ancestry. I am quite tired of going through that and have been preparing to start answering the question “where are you from” with “Dacia” – and will be doing so starting tomorrow. With this article, I will answer the follow-up “isn’t Dacia a car?” or “what is that?” or “where is that?” with “look it up!”

There is open season on Viorica Dancila, the losing presidential candidate from PSD and former prime-minister of Romania. Today, Monday, she has even renounced the leadership of Socialist PSD, until not long ago the main Romanian party. For a contrarian such as myself, this is the perfect moment to announce my undying love for this misunderstood and not very presentable "prezidentiable".

It’s been a while since we haven’t talked about poverty in Romania and solutions. A recent “debate” caused by an over-the-top article on not giving money to the poor gives us a chance to look at it again and also address our reticence with BDSM practices.

Despite having better things to do and write about, a recent article published by Deutsche Welle annoyed me enough to get me to write about the non-debate happening in USA and discuss abortion.

Vorbeam recent cu Quebecoisfier despre o dezbatere pe care intentionam s-o purtam cat de curand. Desigur, nu-i prima data cand as incepe asa ceva - am mai avut in trecut pe tema parlamentului unicameral si despre Base. Si m-am gandit c-ar fi cazul sa enunt cateva reguli, cum am facut pentru concursurile generale pentru acest blog si sa dau premii, cum am mai dat.

I recently got an article from our very own Blegoo, who wanted to see his thoughts published and critiqued around here. It required serious formatting, but I thought it’s a free service I can provide to the second highest commenter (in terms of quantity) on this blog. My comments will be highlighted inline and concentrated at the end. 

Intr-un articol precedent, am criticat ceea ce mie mi s-a parut a fi misoginie. Cel criticat, Buddha, a raspuns cu calm (1), disculpandu-se. Si totusi, decat sa polemizam pe marginea presupusei misoginii a lui Buddha, n-ar fi mai interesant sa dezbatem misoginia in general?

I recently engaged with Krossfire in what could eventually become a debate and thought expanding upon that might be useful to a casual reader and purveyor of truthiness. Taking a break from my memories has suddenly become somewhat appropriate.

Quite a few people are (or were back in September, but it takes a while for local news to cross the Atlantic) appalled that Alexandru Arsinel, an aging and beloved Romanian actor, has supposedly bribed doctors (or used his fame) to jump the queue for a new kidney. But isn’t the outrage itself somewhat outrageous?

The most important debating tournament in Romania took place at the “Mihai Viteazu” high-school and the reporter summarized a debate with a BIRT on whether the Romanian government should provide reparations to the Roma community for the Holocaust. This is worth a discussion.

The recent debate of Romanian politics in the European Parliament was the grotesque conclusion to this summer of our disco tent.

As shown in results, in the runoff, Romanians will get to choose between Iohannis and Ponta. I wrote extensively about Ponta (dottore, virgin suicides, beligan-ponta, greatest plagiarizer, plai cu plagiat, roi rouge, geoana, partisanship, nastase), so before I tell you why I'm voting Ponta, I'll take a look at who is Iohannis.

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.

I have two votes coming up - one for Toronto, Canada (Oct 27), two for Romania (Nov 2, 16). And as usual, I will make a serious effort to vote - I won't wait in line 10 hours, for instance, but I will give it a couple of hours of my time. I thought I go through the possible candidates for election and why I (mostly) won't vote for them.

I have an almost Pavlovian reflex when it comes to inconsistent or illogical patterns. I've built-in expectation for things to turn out as they should, and when they don't, as it is often the case in life, alarm bells sound.

There were seemingly two Romanians running for Toronto Mayor: Radu Popescu and Michael Nicula. Radu Popescu has not listed anything other than his name, while Michael Nicula has listed a lot of info, but nowhere is it mentioned that he is (or was) Romanian.

I probably won’t be voting this year. I’m telling you about my failed attempt to register for “vote by correspondence” or “votul prin corespondenta” as well as my passport application.

Spre rusinea mea, trebuie sa recunosc ca am fost oarecum surprins cand, la vot, mi-au fost inmanate 3 buletine. Stiam vag despre referenda, dar nu ma gandisem sufizamant la broblem. Am fost foarte fericit cand, dupa vot, am citit un articol Zizzou care exprima o opinie opusa alegerii mele.