On Sunday morning, one Romanian soldier was killed and five others were injured in Afghanistan. I suppose that’s a “normal” piece of news, as soldiers do die while on missions in hostile countries, including some 23 total Romanians (1990-present) but the more I thought about it, the stranger this became. First, Duane Butcher, the charge d’affairs at the American Embassy in Bucharest (the head diplomat … Continue reading Kak Obichna
As I mentioned in my piece Why is Romania so poor? and other articles, there is a curious piece of the puzzle missing when understanding how historical forces led to modern Romania being such an impoverished, ill-governed country suffocating under onerous amounts of red tape and a surprising lack of economic performance. I’m close to finalizing my research so you’ll have to wait a bit … Continue reading Further Questions
Imagine a science fiction scenario, a book (or film) set in the far future. A lone spaceship is hurtling through the galaxy, the humans on board desperately looking for a habitable world on which to settle. Suddenly, on their long-range scanners they pick up what looks to be a suitable candidate. Further inspection of the planet reveals good news. There is a breathable atmosphere and … Continue reading Why is Romania so poor?
Out of all of my appearances on Romanian television, the most popular by far is the one where Mircea Badea is belittling me. The number of views for that video is about 10 times bigger than anything else I’ve done, which has always disheartened me that such a needlessly negative piece would be the one that people have shared the most with their friends. But … Continue reading Traim in Romania si asta ne ocupa tot timpul
I’ve been a big fan of the television show Drunk History for a while now although it is relatively obscure even in America and completely unknown here in Romania. The current Comedy Central version is much slicker and better produced but it’s actually based on an earlier internet-only version which was far funnier (for the record, my favorite episode is Jen Kirkman talking about Oney … Continue reading The Ronald McDonald Wig Defense
All Things Romania 