Few were imagining last week how Europe’s finances would look like in just a couple of days. As a matter of fact, last Tuesday I was disagreeing with Michael Berendt’s entry on Blogactiv, while claiming that Eurozone (and Europe in general) will have to face the storm really soon. And so they did. Mr. Berendt himself acknowledged his hasty judgment! To (over)simplify things, the subprime crisis sent American banks into bankruptcy, which consequently did the same with European ones. Germany gave out state guarantees for all private savings accounts, and other European countries followed suit. Moreover, Ireland offered similar guarantees for corporate actors; simply put, the state nationalized banks and other financial institutions. Surreal in 21st century Europe, isn’t it? Continue reading ‘Europe’s Financial Crisis – The Basics’
Tag Archive for 'romania'
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A fost WebStock. Eveniment frumos. Asa cum deja am spus. Au existat ulterior si analize cu privire la starea blogosferei romanesti. Vezi RoBloggers Survey 2008, cateva comentarii cu privire la cei mai influenti oameni din online-ul romanesc de la Cristi Manafu, o remarca cu privire la noile fete in lumea online-ului de pe la noi la Sorin Tudor, si prezentarea lui Bobby Voicu de la WebStock. Dupa cum puteti vedea in pozele de la WebStock, au fost foarte multe prezente feminine pe zona. In afara de domnisoarele in rosu de la Vodafone, magneti pentru toti invitatii deopotriva.
Si totusi, din cei peste 30 de vorbitori – atat din cadrul sesiunilor de dimineata, cat si din cadrul workshop-urilor de mai tarziu – doar 2 erau femei. Subsemnata (domestic lasata acasa, care insa il inlocuia pe Razvan, plecat in Irlanda la o conferinta) si Stephanie Jackson de la Vodafone (reprezentanta a sponsorului principal, in mod evident). Continue reading ‘Barbatii fac online si femeile PR’
Interesting pronouncements from the European Commission coming in today for Romania and Bulgaria. It looks like the Commission will once again criticize the lack of progress in fighting corruption and in the administration of justice in the EU’s newest members. However, it looks like Bulgaria will be chastised worse this time, due to mismanaging European funds (basically financing political campaigns from offshore bank accounts instead of giving Sapard money to Bulgarian farmers), with two huge operational programmes most likely to be interrupted in Bulgaria. When it comes to Bulgaria the allegations of their deputy prime minister against the Commission for leaking off information to the media (the Bulgarian official saying it is this tip-off that will affect Bulgaria’s image abroad, not the corruption itself) seem to me most strange. Continue reading ‘EU Enlargement and its Corrupt Offspring’
I was reading these days various articles about Dinu Patriciu – the wealthiest Romanian citizen alive and the 426th richest man in the world! Although I am writing this entry in English, I don’t plan to develop on the profile of this extremely interesting man too much for my non-Romanian readers. You can read more about him here and here. Suffice it to say he is a very controversial guy… doing business in oil and gas (he is the owner of Rompetrol – a European leader in oil and gas), doing business with state-owned companies much to his personal advantage, being tainted with politics and all sorts of fraud/ corruption allegations (he even spent a couple of days in custody, if I remember correctly), and so on. I don’t plan to comment on any of these issues. I just want to point out two aspects: Continue reading ‘Dinu Patriciu Invests in Education’
Sometimes I wonder why I still find Romania so fascinating… It still beats me. One morning I come across some great initiatives, like the International Development Design Summit at MIT, meant to mainstream technological research and create innovative solution for the world’s poorest countries. Few know, but 90% of the world’s research ande development investments are targeted at serving the wealthiest 10% of the world’s population. And in Romania we can’t even speak about innovation as a key approach to development, let alone about real R&D and we are failing at making even baby steps in so many other fields. And still, the very same morning I receive a brilliant blog entry from the New York Times which reminds me that Romania is eclectic and fascinating, that there are dozens of things that work here and are so passee anywhere else in the world, that we are charming and have great potential. So yeah, I still adore Romania. Half instinctively, half rationally I guess.
E clar ca exista numeroase legaturi intre politica si mediul privat. Unele oneste (cum sunt proiectele de consultanta derulate de actori privati cu scopul asistentei institutiilor publice, ori proiectele derulate de ONG-uri din bani publici), altele mai putin oneste. Frecventa aparitiei infamului DNA la stiri demonstreaza cel de-al doilea tip de legaturi. Legea lobby-ului la noi este marcata de multe necunoscute. In aceste conditii, cum sa judecam gestul Ministrului Mediului Attila Korodi, despre care EVZ a scris chiar ieri pe prima pagina? Continue reading ‘Ministrul Mediului si BMW-ul lui: o micuta dilema etica?’
Ieri am fost, la invitatia lui Filip Lepus – la care am ajuns, daca nu ma insel, prin Cristian Manafu, la Triangle D’Or, o ceainarie destul de interesanta (si singura cu blog) in zona Victoriei (mai bine spus, langa Mega Image-ul de pe 1 Mai). Am asistat acolo la ceremonia ceaiului. Partea rea este ca nu am vazut nimic din ea, pentru ca vreo doua camere de filmat blocau complet spatiul (si asa ingust) care facea legatura dintre masa blogger-ilor si cele doua-trei doamne japoneze care pregateau ceaiul. Totusi, am reusit sa citesc despre cum se petrece intregul ritual – cata linista trebuie sa fie in jur si in tine insuti, cat de multa atentie trebuie sa acorzi detaliilor (Phoebs povesteste mai bine decat mine), si in general cat de important este sa ai puterea sa lasi grijile de-o parte. Ceaiul in sine (realizat dintr-o pudra de ceai) arata ca o ciorbita verde si groasa, dar buna. Eu spun ca semana cu ciorba de urzici, Doru Panaitescu sustinea ca are leit gust de zeama de peste. Si ca veni vorba de Doru, il declar omul saptamanii mele. Doru si-a transformat toate pasiunile in job-uri/pasiuni “profesionalizate” – de la pasiunea pentru mancare (vezi Afterhours), la pasiunea pentru speologie, fotografie, rafting, online, si limba romana. In numai jumatate de ore am fost bombardata de expresii neaose, romanesti, folosite din Ardeal pana-n delta, care m-au fascinat si amuzat. Descoperirea de oameni atat de tonici si de pasionati imi da energie pozitiva multa vreme. Thank you, Doru!
Va recomand Triangle D’Or. E singurul loc din Romania unde se serveste ceaiul-bombita/ ceaiul-balaur, o explozie estetica pe care nu am mai vazut-o pana acum in ceainariile de pe la noi. Daca ii gasesc denumirea stiintifica, va anunt. Altfel, locul e elegant si Zen (desi la inceput mi-a lasat impresia de corporate), pacat insa ca servesc de toate, de la cafea pana la cocktail-uri alcoolice. Oricum, planuiesc sa ma intorc curand acolo. Filip, poze, filmulete, ceva? Alex, tu nu comentezi cu aroganta despre ne-zen-ul locului?
Desi nu mi se adresa cu tot dinadinsul, raspund si eu la leapsa initiata de Iulian Comanescu cu privire la initiativa legislativa Ghise – Funar, pentru ca mi se pare important sa sanctionam o tampenie atunci cand o vedem. Cei doi parlamentari doresc introducerea cotelor de stiri “pozitive” si “negative” la posturile TV. 50-50 si anume. Legea a trecut – in mod cu totul suprinzator dupa parerea mea, pentru ca i-am considerat pe unii parlamentari suspecti de prostie din magarie, nu de prostie din prostie – de Senat si acum asteapta promulgarea presedintelui Basescu. Continue reading ‘Demiurgii din Senat si stirile lor pozitive…’
Once again my country’s president puzzled me. Romanians are euro-optimists because of their perfectly justified naivete that Europe would bring us “the good”, without too much interference on our behalf. Most Eastern Europeans have joyfully embraced the European Union, despite lack of knowledge, awareness and information on this magnanimous institution. Continue reading ‘President Basescu and the EU. Sheer amazement.’
Just to state it bold and clear, if I had the money, I would buy a hybrid car and no other. I have a Mac, I go to the gym, I’m a vegetarian, I eat organic food, I care about the state of the world, about minorities and human rights. Which is not to say I’m a spoiled yuppie, but just that I care. And I would even pay more for a hybrid car than for a regular one. Not much more, but I do understand the purpose of the investment – for myself (hybrids use less fuel and maintenance is cheaper) and for the environment. Right now neither do I have the money to buy a car, nor do I want one, because traffic in Bucharest is insane and I don’t settle down in one country for too long. Continue reading ‘The hybrid car – I’d go for it!’