Ah yes, time to once again dip into the bizarre contents of the messages that I receive! Note: as per my privacy policy, the names of the innocent and not so innocent have been protected. Sam, you’re being paid by the Russian government to write pro-Russia articles! Really? That’s about the funniest comment I’ve received in a long time. I’ll note that I’ve also been … Continue reading Mailbag
In April of 2009 in the Republic of Moldova, a popular protest culminated in the burning of the parliament building. The protest was largely due to the illegitimacy of the ruling coalition. Seven years later, another illegitimate ruling coalition is worried about protests. My translation: The Parliament building recently got a security upgrade that cost 9 million lei [455 thousand USD]. Anatolie Zoltcov couldn’t give … Continue reading Bunker Mentality
The other day, I was talking to a friend of mine from Romania who recently visited the United States. Beyond all the pleasantries, I was shocked when my friend casually dropped a key piece of information that led me to scramble to my computer and start doing research. An hour or so later, I turned my gaze away from the computer and laughed. With Friends … Continue reading A Slight Sting
I’ve been keeping my hands clean of the quagmire of Moldovan politics for a while, but this and this is simply too outrageous to ignore. My translation: The speaker of the Parliament, Andrian Candu, who is the godson of the oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc, said that it is the citizens of the Republic of Moldova who are truly to blame for a culture of widespread corruption. … Continue reading Blaming the Victim
From here: A Romanian government institute tasked with investigating communist-era crimes has called for two former prison chiefs to be probed on suspicion of causing the deaths of 204 political prisoners. . Institute chief Radu Preda said Marian Petrescu, 84, commander of several labor colonies and prisons from 1956 to 1966, is suspected of running an abusive regime, leading to 104 deaths. Gheorghe Bostina, 86, … Continue reading Signifying Nothing
All Things Romania 