With the internet being so ubiquitous and dictionaries (online and “offline” in print) so accessible, there isn’t much need for me to “teach” or translate most Romanian words here on the blog. That being said, sometimes some words aren’t in the dictionary but nonetheless are essential components of speaking the Romanian language. Today’s word is one such example – rămâne (ra-moon-eh), which ordinarily is a … Continue reading WOTD: Rămâne
I’ve got to be completely honest right upfront and admit that writing a lengthy article about the summer of 1941 here in Romania is probably about the worst mistake I’ve ever made here on the blog. For one thing, most people will find it boring and not even read it and secondly, those who do read it will take offense at something and hate or … Continue reading Fury Unleashed
You know it’s rather easy to criticize Romania (as I do myself often when it’s merited) but it’s also good to take a look at what Romania does right. As I mentioned in my (in)famous article, Black and Blue, the post-1989 Revolution government should be applauded for not taking the Latvian route of denying citizenship and full rights to many of its minorities. The Gypsies, … Continue reading Hey, Hey, We’re the Tiny but Respected and Protected Minorities!
A few weeks ago I read a piece called The Illusion of Corruption on the blog of a Romanian who grew up in Canada but has now returned to his homeland (and as a side note, the author is a personal friend) and the more I thought about it, the more I realized what he said is true. There are a lot of foreigners who … Continue reading Incompetence on Every Level
If you’re like me then there’s nothing more fun than browsing through lengthy European Union documents on taxation on a Sunday morning. But yes, that’s what I was doing, all because of a report in Gandul (link in Romanian) about how this country’s excise taxes are spent. In short, Romania collects about 1.5 billion lei (or about 350 million Euros) per year on excise taxes … Continue reading Rotten to the Core
All Things Romania 