If you’ve been with me for a long time, you’ll know that as far back as three years ago I was writing about how much I appreciate Romania’s democratic tradition of giving ample time and space for the public to debate the important issues of the day. Last week, I was watching such a program, a 78-minute interview with Aurelia Cristea, a local politician who … Continue reading The State of the Press
What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun or fester like a sore, and then run? Does it stink like rotten meat or crust and sugar over, like a syrupy sweet? —Langston Hughes Five days ago, there was a surge of joy in Romania after the website EurActive reported that the European Union was going to pass … Continue reading Another Dream Deferred
On Monday the European Union issued its first ever report on corruption, which caused a media sensation worldwide as it was the first time that people had hard numbers of just how bad the situation is. Every member state was included in the report, including Romania (PDF), a lengthy document that deserves in-depth analysis. However, I was immediately drawn to a paragraph (page 5) concerning … Continue reading Penetration
Twenty years ago, during the first, raw years of Bill Clinton’s presidency, the world was a vastly different place. The “Iron Curtain” had fallen and a dozen countries (including Romania) were now free to follow their own path. A German musical band was singing about the winds of change and millions of people were speaking in hopeful terms about a peace dividend. With the long … Continue reading The Black Hole of Romania
Right now the number one show in Britain is Channel 4’s “Benefits Street”, which allegedly focuses on people receiving “benefits” or government money. Episode 2 heavily featured immigrant Romanians (often pronounced Rumanians on the show), one a gypsy family from Romania and the second a group of 14 agricultural workers from Romania. Despite the fact that neither the workers nor the gypsy family were receiving … Continue reading Benefits Street
All Things Romania 