Japanese Nuclear Nightmare Could Be Our Own

For all of us living here in Romania, I suppose it is rather good news that we’re nowhere near being downwind of any radioactivity (Rom) from Japan’s crumbling nuclear reactors. For people living in Japan, however, it looks like there might be some serious trouble. For the best round-up of information on this topic (in English), I recommend this link. Why am I mentioning all … Continue reading Japanese Nuclear Nightmare Could Be Our Own

Word of the Day: Șpaga

A lot of time foreign publications mention corruption in Romanian as if it were a single entity, one kind of “breaking the rules” for private gain. It’s understandable why some people would be confused. After all, the word “bribe” in English has nothing but negative connotations, utterly repellant to most people. Pay someone in the government to get something done? Unthinkably wrong. Nonetheless, Romania spent … Continue reading Word of the Day: Șpaga

Trigger Happy Cops in Ilfov

Well just a day after I lauded the peacefulness of Romania’s law enforcement officers, I came across this story (Rom) about a guy who was shot by police in Ilfov and died of his wounds. I know nothing about this case except for what’s in the news report but it looks like what the U.S. Marines used to call a clusterf–k: Bărbatul fusese surprins, în … Continue reading Trigger Happy Cops in Ilfov