Maybe that writing down what all needs to get done will help me do it asap. Here I go:
Numerical Linear Algebra Program 100% - DONE
Colloquium Paper 10% - Due Wed.
Kinetics Take Home 75% - Due Wed.
Laundry 0% - 3 pairs of underwear left...
Taxes 0% - Due April 15th
Math Presentation 5% - Due March 22
Senior Thesis Intro 0% - Due earlier than it seems
Vacuum the room - almost aggravating
P.S. I love "The Hero Factor". Me and my roommate decided to order their two CD's. The second one is coming out tomorrow. Their live stuff from the first album sounds unbelievable. So far this is my favorite song.
Monday, February 28, 2005
Friday, February 25, 2005
The Hero Factor
Let's face it. I am musically challenged. Despite this minor detail, I am a big fan of music and I am easily impressed by any noise making, beat keeping, heart soothing kind of music. So I enjoy music, but because I don't fully understand it, it takes a lot to get me addicted to some song. Well, last weekend in Austin I happened to stumble upon a band that it has become almost addicting. They are called The Hero Factor and they are really good. The live sound is incredible, the songs are very catchy, and the lead singer's voice is one of the best I have heard so far. (in an alternative/rock/pop band, at least) They have a new album coming out in March and they posted a few songs on their myspace.com page. Get addicted!
Sunday, February 20, 2005
Fresh, fresh Austin
So yeah, I am in the hotel in Austin. I figured I should make myself write something about this visit while it's still fresh, so I won't end up the last school I visit. So how's Austin, you might ask?
Well, first of all it's a city. I thought I'd never want to go back to a real city, with traffic, beggars, tall but crappy buildings, parking problems, etc. Austin however, seems to have a bunch of other things to compensate these urban disadvantages. The social life of this city is just amazing. I can't believe it's a southern city, not to mention that it's the capital of Texas. How does that work, anyway? It seems like every night there are a gagillion bands playing, theater plays or dance shows running. The number of restaurants and options for food is also quite remarkable. The interesting part is that the city was planned to have a technological boom about 10 years ago, so a lot of development took place: apartments, restaurants, bars, office buildings. It turns out that the boom in population never actually happened but the development itself created a greater offer than demand so a lot o people decided to come over here for the affordable living and awesome social life.
If I couldn't visit the other schools (Boulder and Illinois) I say that I would chose Austin, just because it seems like the perfect balance between work and fun.
Well, first of all it's a city. I thought I'd never want to go back to a real city, with traffic, beggars, tall but crappy buildings, parking problems, etc. Austin however, seems to have a bunch of other things to compensate these urban disadvantages. The social life of this city is just amazing. I can't believe it's a southern city, not to mention that it's the capital of Texas. How does that work, anyway? It seems like every night there are a gagillion bands playing, theater plays or dance shows running. The number of restaurants and options for food is also quite remarkable. The interesting part is that the city was planned to have a technological boom about 10 years ago, so a lot of development took place: apartments, restaurants, bars, office buildings. It turns out that the boom in population never actually happened but the development itself created a greater offer than demand so a lot o people decided to come over here for the affordable living and awesome social life.
If I couldn't visit the other schools (Boulder and Illinois) I say that I would chose Austin, just because it seems like the perfect balance between work and fun.
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Hotel Rwanda
I am shaken. I hurts to even start thinking about what to write in here.
I have just watched Hotel Rwanda. I cried. I knew about the massacre that took place between the Hutu's and the Tutsi's but being immersed in it, picture and sound for 2 hours, was very emotional. In less than 100 days 800,000 Tutsi and Hutu moderates were killed by the Hutu militia. Young and uneducated Hutus were manipulated in this fabricated ethnic conflict to kill their neighbours and friends using machetes and clubs in probably the most gruesome human slaughter. More than 10% of the population was killed. This genocide was carefully organized and instigated using the national public radio. The UN troops on the ground informed their superiors about what was going to happen. The UN Canadian general had the location of the machete chaches but his hands were tied. The only response from the western "civilization" was to call all whites and UN troops out and let the poor bastards die.
I felt a personal shame at the end of this movie. I am ashamed of being a part of this "civilization" that goes around the world, fucks things over and then closes it's eyes, turns away, like nothing happened. In this respect, US is one to be condoned because it many times accepted its responsability as world leader and helped more than anybody else. But Europe... oh... I have no words. A bunch of cowards that will never learn from history, and that's why I feel so ashamed.
I will be sorry for writing such a pessimistic post.
I have just watched Hotel Rwanda. I cried. I knew about the massacre that took place between the Hutu's and the Tutsi's but being immersed in it, picture and sound for 2 hours, was very emotional. In less than 100 days 800,000 Tutsi and Hutu moderates were killed by the Hutu militia. Young and uneducated Hutus were manipulated in this fabricated ethnic conflict to kill their neighbours and friends using machetes and clubs in probably the most gruesome human slaughter. More than 10% of the population was killed. This genocide was carefully organized and instigated using the national public radio. The UN troops on the ground informed their superiors about what was going to happen. The UN Canadian general had the location of the machete chaches but his hands were tied. The only response from the western "civilization" was to call all whites and UN troops out and let the poor bastards die.
I felt a personal shame at the end of this movie. I am ashamed of being a part of this "civilization" that goes around the world, fucks things over and then closes it's eyes, turns away, like nothing happened. In this respect, US is one to be condoned because it many times accepted its responsability as world leader and helped more than anybody else. But Europe... oh... I have no words. A bunch of cowards that will never learn from history, and that's why I feel so ashamed.
I will be sorry for writing such a pessimistic post.
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Travel, money, metaphysics and math
So far, today has been a very eclectic day. I have received my flight schedule from UT Austin. I leave Friday morning and come back on Sunday evening (Feb18-20). I can't wait to see the campus everybody is raving about, and more importantly to meet the chemistry professors and see what they have to offer.
Today I have also received the confirmation of being offered one of the Honors College research grant. Finally.!!!! It comes with $1200 for me and $1000 for Dr. Pulay. It's a little weird because Dr. Pulay requested $0 and expressely told me not to put anything down for him. I was getting worried that I wouldn't have enough money to subsist this semester with all the travelling I am supposed to do, but in the end it looks like it all turned out well.
The discussion in the Quantum Chemistry colloquium was very upsetting for me today . I guess that I am a little skeptical and not yet convinced that pure information can influence a system. Information is not immaterial, like we defined in class. When he hear something, the sound waves interact with our ear membranes, which create neurological impulses that are passed down chemically to the brain, usw. The same thing happens with any other senses, so we cannot obtain information in any other way but through physical interaction. The thinking process itself exists within our brain, so it's embedded in the physical world. We talked about information affecting the outcome of an experiment, but what should be said is that our attempt to get the information perturbs the system and changes the outcome of the experiment. The Heisenberg principle is very clear. I don't know why we have to make it more complicated than it is. Anywhoo, it's the kind of philosophical clash that doesn't produce anything useful but mind exercise and enjoyment for the winner.
In the math seminar we discussed a paper by Halmos about what Mathematics really is. Especially here in the US, regular but rather educated people put a big equal sign between high school remedial algebra and mathematics. It's like equating turkey carving with being a surgeon. Halmos splits up math in Mathology and Mathophysics and argues that the first is done for no immediate purpose. It's one of the two original academic endeavors and it's done just for the fun of Mathologists themselves, just like Philosophy. His main point is that Mathematicians are some of the most creative people and Math is actually a creative art. Or black voodoo magic if you want, as one of my favorite teachers said. Next time you see some mathematician, please don't think of adding numbers, x's, y's, log's or square roots. It's an insult. Think of somebody who can think in a very different and hard to pick up language. Think of somebody who is very rigorous and creative in what he's doing. Most of the scientists use Mathematician as an insult anyway, so don't insult them again, pphhlease.
Today I have also received the confirmation of being offered one of the Honors College research grant. Finally.!!!! It comes with $1200 for me and $1000 for Dr. Pulay. It's a little weird because Dr. Pulay requested $0 and expressely told me not to put anything down for him. I was getting worried that I wouldn't have enough money to subsist this semester with all the travelling I am supposed to do, but in the end it looks like it all turned out well.
The discussion in the Quantum Chemistry colloquium was very upsetting for me today . I guess that I am a little skeptical and not yet convinced that pure information can influence a system. Information is not immaterial, like we defined in class. When he hear something, the sound waves interact with our ear membranes, which create neurological impulses that are passed down chemically to the brain, usw. The same thing happens with any other senses, so we cannot obtain information in any other way but through physical interaction. The thinking process itself exists within our brain, so it's embedded in the physical world. We talked about information affecting the outcome of an experiment, but what should be said is that our attempt to get the information perturbs the system and changes the outcome of the experiment. The Heisenberg principle is very clear. I don't know why we have to make it more complicated than it is. Anywhoo, it's the kind of philosophical clash that doesn't produce anything useful but mind exercise and enjoyment for the winner.
In the math seminar we discussed a paper by Halmos about what Mathematics really is. Especially here in the US, regular but rather educated people put a big equal sign between high school remedial algebra and mathematics. It's like equating turkey carving with being a surgeon. Halmos splits up math in Mathology and Mathophysics and argues that the first is done for no immediate purpose. It's one of the two original academic endeavors and it's done just for the fun of Mathologists themselves, just like Philosophy. His main point is that Mathematicians are some of the most creative people and Math is actually a creative art. Or black voodoo magic if you want, as one of my favorite teachers said. Next time you see some mathematician, please don't think of adding numbers, x's, y's, log's or square roots. It's an insult. Think of somebody who can think in a very different and hard to pick up language. Think of somebody who is very rigorous and creative in what he's doing. Most of the scientists use Mathematician as an insult anyway, so don't insult them again, pphhlease.
Monday, February 07, 2005
Toga man.
I felt like doing nothing today. Some days are just like this and I don't know why.
I just got back from a lecture about clothing in the Roman world. More speciffically, the lecture was about togas, and of course, the spiel was given by the toga man. Here are some pictures from the lecture. He was quite a character and reminded me perfectly of my grandpa: had a grandeur in his speech, was very articulate and didn't hide from being offensive and funny. I found the lecture very healthy for me because I realized how many of the roman traditions are still present in Europe, and how Americans are a little sheltered from this spartan culture.
The toga man was talking about how Romans took pride in being disciplined because they considered it to differentiate them from animals. They had to bear cold, heat, hunger, or any physical discomfort without even acknowledging it. You couldn't afford to be called a whiner or a sissy by saying: oh, my balls are cold, let me get another cloth around my waist. In a similar sense the education that people experience in Romania, and from my knowledge everywhere in Europe (especially spartan places like Germany or Britain) says that being spoiled is bad. You wouldn't see anybody whine about how bad the food at the cafeteria is, or how cold the Swedish winters are, or how empty the pockets are. Kids endure playing soccer on concrete and getting their knee caps crushed, or playing rugby without any padding. (Notice, I didn't include the French and the Italians here. They are a total different breed)
Here in the US people are taught to be spoiled. Choice is the foundation of the American society. You have to be spoiled, because as an individual you are a customer in all aspects of life and so you can make any decisions that concern you. Discipline is not an American value. Discipline can actually have a negative conotation, falling in the category of abuse. Kids can do whatever they want and parents can't have any control over them since they have no way of punishment available. This can have a very positive impact on people, helping them become very individual, but in a weird kind of way. What I mean is that people are individual, but becuase they don't have the discipline to rationalize what their options are, they fall into the smallest traps. Everybody dresses the same, but voluntarily. Everybody gets fat, but voluntarily. Everbody buys stuff that they absolutely don't need, just because they can and they want to be individual. Everbody does these things so everybody ends up being IDENTICAL.
I remember clearly how my mom use to educate me by making the same comparisons used by the Romans. In everything we do we should ask ourselves if we are acting as animals or as humans. There is a certain pride in being a human, this biped animal, very cocky and vertical. And how else can we match this pride, other than acting as a vertical being: with verticality. If we're giving in to the smallest discomforts, pleasures and gimmiks laid out in front of us, we might as well go back crawling on four limbs like animals. Sounds pretty radical to me, but I believe it to some extent, and it served me well so far.
My lazy ass roommate just got up, so I guess it's time to do something useful now.
I just got back from a lecture about clothing in the Roman world. More speciffically, the lecture was about togas, and of course, the spiel was given by the toga man. Here are some pictures from the lecture. He was quite a character and reminded me perfectly of my grandpa: had a grandeur in his speech, was very articulate and didn't hide from being offensive and funny. I found the lecture very healthy for me because I realized how many of the roman traditions are still present in Europe, and how Americans are a little sheltered from this spartan culture.
The toga man was talking about how Romans took pride in being disciplined because they considered it to differentiate them from animals. They had to bear cold, heat, hunger, or any physical discomfort without even acknowledging it. You couldn't afford to be called a whiner or a sissy by saying: oh, my balls are cold, let me get another cloth around my waist. In a similar sense the education that people experience in Romania, and from my knowledge everywhere in Europe (especially spartan places like Germany or Britain) says that being spoiled is bad. You wouldn't see anybody whine about how bad the food at the cafeteria is, or how cold the Swedish winters are, or how empty the pockets are. Kids endure playing soccer on concrete and getting their knee caps crushed, or playing rugby without any padding. (Notice, I didn't include the French and the Italians here. They are a total different breed)
Here in the US people are taught to be spoiled. Choice is the foundation of the American society. You have to be spoiled, because as an individual you are a customer in all aspects of life and so you can make any decisions that concern you. Discipline is not an American value. Discipline can actually have a negative conotation, falling in the category of abuse. Kids can do whatever they want and parents can't have any control over them since they have no way of punishment available. This can have a very positive impact on people, helping them become very individual, but in a weird kind of way. What I mean is that people are individual, but becuase they don't have the discipline to rationalize what their options are, they fall into the smallest traps. Everybody dresses the same, but voluntarily. Everybody gets fat, but voluntarily. Everbody buys stuff that they absolutely don't need, just because they can and they want to be individual. Everbody does these things so everybody ends up being IDENTICAL.
I remember clearly how my mom use to educate me by making the same comparisons used by the Romans. In everything we do we should ask ourselves if we are acting as animals or as humans. There is a certain pride in being a human, this biped animal, very cocky and vertical. And how else can we match this pride, other than acting as a vertical being: with verticality. If we're giving in to the smallest discomforts, pleasures and gimmiks laid out in front of us, we might as well go back crawling on four limbs like animals. Sounds pretty radical to me, but I believe it to some extent, and it served me well so far.
My lazy ass roommate just got up, so I guess it's time to do something useful now.
Friday, February 04, 2005
What's happening...
New posts on this blog come in lumps, just like anything in our life. So here's a brief update with what's news for me:
- I got the offer I wanted from UC Boulder. I don't know the financial details yet, but I am really excited about this oportunity. I can't wait to visit and meet the people.
- I started working on my research project. I haven't done any calculations yet, but I found some good starting points. I hope it will all come together before the deadline.
- I looked into my math senior project and I think it's going to be a lot of fun. I am doing the Brouwer fixed point theorem, although I haven't had a topology class, so I am going to learn along the way the concepts needed for the proof.
- Traian Basescu, the Romanian president, has been excelent so far. This guy really looks like he has a vision and his message and actions so far have been very clear. In a month of presidency he visited Brussels, Moldova, and Great Britain and "shook hands" with all the Romanian public institutions giving them at the same time clear warnings for not doing their jobs.
- The Romanian Academic Society analyzed the Romanian society, government, economy and foreign policy and produced some sort of prognosis for 2005. It's a very well written document with many pertinent arguments. Here's a link to the pdf. Unfortunately it's only in Romanian for now, but they might have the English version soon on this page.
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Back to School and Cleaning project
It's Saturday night, the end of a very slow day. I can't believe it's school time again. I woke up pretty late today and really felt like doing nothing. I will admit that I spent the whole day in front of the stupid computer but I fixed some things and organized the huge mess on my desktop. I also did some more research about U of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne where I already received an offer for a Ph.D. in Materials Chemistry. The program looks very strong, some of the research is just yummy and the financial offer is pretty good. I am really excited and so ready to move on, whether it will be Illinois, South Carolina, MIT or whatever. At this point I keep all options open.
Today I also received a call from Dr. Myrick, my mentor from South Carolina. He invited me for an official visit, so I will probably fly to Columbia, SC on the 18th of Februrary. I also e-mailed Illinois for a tentative visit schedule. Although I love travelling, I hope I won't get too many offers because I won't get anything done this semester. I am not looking forward to writing my senior thesis, but no matter how much I complain and how busy I will be, all I know is that my thesis needs to get done.
Before I decided to write this journal blurb I had so many things in my mind, but now I am blank, so I will go ahead and talk about the cleaning up project that I did in Romania.
The pictures down below are pretty explanatory. One of the first shocks I had after arriving home was the disgusting view out the kitchen window. The area around the trash dump looked more like a landfill than a backyard. Thanks to negligent people who don't care to put the trash in the dump, stray dogs who pull it out in search for food, strong winds, and negligent trash collectors the zone was a disaster. I couldn't just stand and do nothing so I wrote a letter to all the people living in my apartment block. I simply described the situation and asked everybody who cares to come down on Saturday at 12:00 pm and pick up some trash. I distributed 80 copies of my letter to the people that are immediately affected (visually and olfactory) by the mess.I figured that if out of around 160 people who read the letter at least 30 people came down and picked up trash for 5 minutes the whole area would have become spotless. You should know that in Romania implication and resposability are unknown and any sense of community is totally absent . That's why my effort was more of a sociological experiment than truly a cleaning project.
It turns out that Saturday at 12:00 sharp 10 people came out (including me, my brother and my mom). There were a couple of little kids, some guys in their fifties and an older man. We all worked for 40 minutes and filled up more than 22 giant trashbags. The improvement is quite visible in the pictures. Although a lot of people were looking out the window probably thinking "what do these freaks want?" I was really glad that we managed to get the job done. I finished my little project by writing another letter and distributing it to the same 80 mailboxes. I presented the outcome of the project and a few pieces of advice for keeping the area clean. I also e-mailed the trash company, the mayor and the press. The next day the trash company replied and appreciated my project and the newspaper had an article about it. It seems like really simple problems like keeping the backyard clean are very hard to solve in Romania because no one has any kind of initiative. I assume that my project was a surprise for many of the people, but it was an even bigger surprise for me that so few responded.
Today I also received a call from Dr. Myrick, my mentor from South Carolina. He invited me for an official visit, so I will probably fly to Columbia, SC on the 18th of Februrary. I also e-mailed Illinois for a tentative visit schedule. Although I love travelling, I hope I won't get too many offers because I won't get anything done this semester. I am not looking forward to writing my senior thesis, but no matter how much I complain and how busy I will be, all I know is that my thesis needs to get done.
Before I decided to write this journal blurb I had so many things in my mind, but now I am blank, so I will go ahead and talk about the cleaning up project that I did in Romania.
The pictures down below are pretty explanatory. One of the first shocks I had after arriving home was the disgusting view out the kitchen window. The area around the trash dump looked more like a landfill than a backyard. Thanks to negligent people who don't care to put the trash in the dump, stray dogs who pull it out in search for food, strong winds, and negligent trash collectors the zone was a disaster. I couldn't just stand and do nothing so I wrote a letter to all the people living in my apartment block. I simply described the situation and asked everybody who cares to come down on Saturday at 12:00 pm and pick up some trash. I distributed 80 copies of my letter to the people that are immediately affected (visually and olfactory) by the mess.I figured that if out of around 160 people who read the letter at least 30 people came down and picked up trash for 5 minutes the whole area would have become spotless. You should know that in Romania implication and resposability are unknown and any sense of community is totally absent . That's why my effort was more of a sociological experiment than truly a cleaning project.
It turns out that Saturday at 12:00 sharp 10 people came out (including me, my brother and my mom). There were a couple of little kids, some guys in their fifties and an older man. We all worked for 40 minutes and filled up more than 22 giant trashbags. The improvement is quite visible in the pictures. Although a lot of people were looking out the window probably thinking "what do these freaks want?" I was really glad that we managed to get the job done. I finished my little project by writing another letter and distributing it to the same 80 mailboxes. I presented the outcome of the project and a few pieces of advice for keeping the area clean. I also e-mailed the trash company, the mayor and the press. The next day the trash company replied and appreciated my project and the newspaper had an article about it. It seems like really simple problems like keeping the backyard clean are very hard to solve in Romania because no one has any kind of initiative. I assume that my project was a surprise for many of the people, but it was an even bigger surprise for me that so few responded.
Monday, January 10, 2005
Rezultate - "Spatele Blocului"
Iata cum s-a incheiat micul meu proiect. Pot sa spun ca sunt mai mult decit multumit. Ma asteptam sa fac doar un experiment social si acum chiar e mult mai curat in spatele blocului.
Scrisoarea de mai jos am pus-o in cutia postala a fiecaruia care a primit primul anunt. Am scris si o scrisoare deschisa adresata firmei de curatenie comunitara (Salubritas), primariei, politiei, presei, si tuturor locatarilor ingrijorati de starea de curatenie din oras. Daca o problema asa de simpla cum este curatenia nu se poate rezolva atunci ce ne facem cu saracia si coruptia. Nu am sa inteleg niciodata cum o tara cu atitea masini scumpe si oameni cu celulare se complace intr-o mizerie crasa. Se pare ca s-au sarit niste pasi de evolutie esentiali.
Inainte
Dupa
Multumim mult celor care si-au dat 40 de minute din viata pentru mai binele tuturor.
1. Cand tomberonul este plin sunati la Salubritas. Cu cat suna mai multi oameni cu atat e sansa mai mare ca cineva sa vina sa ridice gunoiul la timp.
2. Cand vedeti persoane suspecte care vin cu foarte mult gunoi din alte zone pentru ca nu vor sa-si platesca un serviciu propriu de salubritate sunati la politie. Reclamati in mod civilizat situatia, avind pregatita descrierea persoanei si numarul masinii.
3. Cand vedeti caini vagabonzi care scormonesc pentru mincare si care duc gunoiul in toate partile sunati la Salubritas. Daca se primesc zeci de telefoane intr-un timp scurt exista sanse mai mari ca sa vina cineva in timp util.
4. Participati in mod activ la sedintele de asociatie. Informati primaria si Salubritas de problema actuala. Propuneti lor sau organizati singuri crearea unei zone ingradite pentru a micsora sansa ca gunoaiele sa fie raspindite peste tot.
5. Organizati actiuni voluntare de curatare a zonei pentru ca acestea nu costa aproape nimic. Daca nu sunteti adeptul voluntariatului, platiti o suma minima oamenilor de serviciu pentru ca in afara orelor de program sa faca odata pe luna o curatenie generala a zonei din afara blocurilor. Trebuie sa intelegem ca oricit de mult sau putin ar fi platiti, e fizic imposibil pentru citiva oameni angajati la asociatie sa desfaca mizeria pe care o fac alte sute de oameni.
Scrisoarea de mai jos am pus-o in cutia postala a fiecaruia care a primit primul anunt. Am scris si o scrisoare deschisa adresata firmei de curatenie comunitara (Salubritas), primariei, politiei, presei, si tuturor locatarilor ingrijorati de starea de curatenie din oras. Daca o problema asa de simpla cum este curatenia nu se poate rezolva atunci ce ne facem cu saracia si coruptia. Nu am sa inteleg niciodata cum o tara cu atitea masini scumpe si oameni cu celulare se complace intr-o mizerie crasa. Se pare ca s-au sarit niste pasi de evolutie esentiali.
Inainte
Dupa
Simbata, 8 ianuarie, incepand cu ora 12
− 10 oameni cu virste intre 10 si 80 de ani, dar toti la fel de harnici, au lucrat timp de
− 40 de minute si au adunat cel putin
− 16 saci de 70 de litri si 5 saci de 100 de litri de gunoi
− 40 de minute si au adunat cel putin
− 16 saci de 70 de litri si 5 saci de 100 de litri de gunoi
Multumim mult celor care si-au dat 40 de minute din viata pentru mai binele tuturor.
Telefoane utile
Salubritas - 236771
Politie – 955
Caini comunitari (Salubritas) – 236772
Primarie – 210872
Salubritas - 236771
Politie – 955
Caini comunitari (Salubritas) – 236772
Primarie – 210872
Pentru pastrarea curateniei
Motto: “Daca faci nimic o sa se intimple tot nimic.”
Motto: “Daca faci nimic o sa se intimple tot nimic.”
1. Cand tomberonul este plin sunati la Salubritas. Cu cat suna mai multi oameni cu atat e sansa mai mare ca cineva sa vina sa ridice gunoiul la timp.
2. Cand vedeti persoane suspecte care vin cu foarte mult gunoi din alte zone pentru ca nu vor sa-si platesca un serviciu propriu de salubritate sunati la politie. Reclamati in mod civilizat situatia, avind pregatita descrierea persoanei si numarul masinii.
3. Cand vedeti caini vagabonzi care scormonesc pentru mincare si care duc gunoiul in toate partile sunati la Salubritas. Daca se primesc zeci de telefoane intr-un timp scurt exista sanse mai mari ca sa vina cineva in timp util.
4. Participati in mod activ la sedintele de asociatie. Informati primaria si Salubritas de problema actuala. Propuneti lor sau organizati singuri crearea unei zone ingradite pentru a micsora sansa ca gunoaiele sa fie raspindite peste tot.
5. Organizati actiuni voluntare de curatare a zonei pentru ca acestea nu costa aproape nimic. Daca nu sunteti adeptul voluntariatului, platiti o suma minima oamenilor de serviciu pentru ca in afara orelor de program sa faca odata pe luna o curatenie generala a zonei din afara blocurilor. Trebuie sa intelegem ca oricit de mult sau putin ar fi platiti, e fizic imposibil pentru citiva oameni angajati la asociatie sa desfaca mizeria pe care o fac alte sute de oameni.
versiune originala: spatele_blocului_dupa.doc
Scrisoare deschisa
Draga domn sau doamna,
Ma numesc Dragos Seghete si locuiesc pe Bd. Decebal, nr. 96, Bl. G4, Sc B, ap 30. Dupa cum se vede din documentele atasate saptamina trecuta am organizat o actiune voluntara pentru curatarea zonei din spatele blocului. Anuntul “spatele_blocului_inainte.doc” a fost pus Marti 4 ianuarie in cutia postala a tuturor apartamentelor din blocul 96, si pe usile de intrare si iesire din fiecare scara. In total au fost distribuite 80 de anunturi. Rezultatele actiunii se pot vedea in celalalt document atasat, care si el a fost distribuit tuturor locatarilor.
Va scriu aceste randuri pentru a va informa despre actiune dar si pentru a va cere ajutorul in crearea unei atmosfere de civilizatie in Piatra Neamt. Un oras mai curat este scopul comun al tuturor. Acest scop se poate atinge mult mai usor printr-o colaborare sincera si dezinteresata intre Salubritas, primarie, politie, presa si cetateni.
In speranta ca actiunea noastra nu va ramine fara ecou va multumesc anticipat.
Cu sinceritate,
Dragos Seghete
Draga domn sau doamna,
Ma numesc Dragos Seghete si locuiesc pe Bd. Decebal, nr. 96, Bl. G4, Sc B, ap 30. Dupa cum se vede din documentele atasate saptamina trecuta am organizat o actiune voluntara pentru curatarea zonei din spatele blocului. Anuntul “spatele_blocului_inainte.doc” a fost pus Marti 4 ianuarie in cutia postala a tuturor apartamentelor din blocul 96, si pe usile de intrare si iesire din fiecare scara. In total au fost distribuite 80 de anunturi. Rezultatele actiunii se pot vedea in celalalt document atasat, care si el a fost distribuit tuturor locatarilor.
Va scriu aceste randuri pentru a va informa despre actiune dar si pentru a va cere ajutorul in crearea unei atmosfere de civilizatie in Piatra Neamt. Un oras mai curat este scopul comun al tuturor. Acest scop se poate atinge mult mai usor printr-o colaborare sincera si dezinteresata intre Salubritas, primarie, politie, presa si cetateni.
In speranta ca actiunea noastra nu va ramine fara ecou va multumesc anticipat.
Cu sinceritate,
Dragos Seghete
versiune originala: scrisoare_deschisa.htm
Monday, January 03, 2005
Proiectul "Spatele Blocului"
Sunt Dragos Seghete si locuiesc in blocul 96, la scara B, et 3, ap 30. De fiecare data cind ma scol dimineata si ma uit pe geam sa vad cum e vremea ma izbeste imaginea de mai sus. Pur si simplu ma dor ochii si sufletul cind vad atita mizerie si toata ziua imi este stricata.
Am decis sa scriu acest anunt pentru ca stiu ca mai sunt oameni la fel de lezati visual si moral de cocina din spatele blocului. Mie personal imi este rusine ca stau cu gunoaiele la 20 de m de bloc si nu fac absolut nimic ca sa rezolv problema. Daca si tu te-ai saturat de privelistea de groapa de gunoi a spatelui blocului acum ai o sansa sa iti exprimi opinia. Si cred ca cel mai eficient mod de a exprima o parere este sa faci ceva concret. Asa ca:
Simbata, 8 ianuarie la ora 12:00 fix
toti cei care s-au saturat de aceasta mizerie crasa vor iesi in spatele blocului si vor ridica hirtii si gunoaie din iarba, de pe linga gunoi, din spatele gardului, de oriunde sunt si nu trebuie sa fie. Cu cit iesim mai multi cu atit terminam treaba mai repede. Orice unelte care ar putea fi de ajutor (grebla, lopata, galeata) vor fi mult apreciate.
Eu unul am sa imi dau rusinea, pasivitatea, lenea si mindria la o parte si am sa le inlocuiesc timp de citeva minute cu ridicatul de gunoaie in frigul iernii. Oricit de injositor si nedrept ar fi, eu cred ca meritam cu totii sa ne facem unul altuia cadou pentru noul an un “spatele blocului” putin mai curat.
Ne vedem sambata!
Cu speranta si respect,
Dragos Seghete
Am reprodus aici in intregime proiectul pe care l-am gindit din primele secunde dupa ce am ajuns acasa. Imaginea de mai sus explica probabil cel mai bine de ce am fost nevoit sa imi autopropun acest proiect. Scopul meu nu e sa curat spatele blocului, ci sa fac un experiment stiintific in domeniul sociologiei (banuiesc). Am facut copii la anuntul de mai jos si le-am pus in cutia postala a fiecarui apartament din blocul meu. In total 70 de apartamente. Am pus si cite un afis la intrarea din fata si spate a fiecarei scari de bloc - 8 afise. Teoretic in acest bloc locuiesc cam 2.5 persoane pe apartament, deci sa zicem 140 de persoane eligibile. Am lasat 4 zile intre data anuntului si cea in care ar trebui sa aiba loc treaba timp suficient de contemplare. Cu o zi inainte am sa incerc sa bat din usa in usa sa vedem citi confirma intentia de a veni, inca o metoda de marketing. Deocamdata sunt optimist si zic ca vor veni cel putin 10 oameni. Altii m-au dezumflat si mi-au spus ca nici chiar asa de multi, domnle ... . Vom vedea.
versiune originala: spatele_blocului_inainte.doc
Two days at my Grandparents
The last few days I visited with my grandparents and today I ran a bunch of errands. My grandparents are happy and healthy, just a little older. This time I took some pictures and I posted them on my website at http://comp.uark.edu/~dseghet in the photo section. Take a look to see the “Simple Life” - Romanian Style. You can see my Grandpa’s babies (4 cats) and my Grandma’s colorful chickens. We have a dog too, and the poor baby was terrified by the New Year’s fireworks. Without any exaggeration I think Borca, Neamt, Romania had some of the most impressive fireworks I have ever seen. The tall mountains that closely surround the valley acted as a reverberation chamber and the fact that everybody lighted all the fireworks on a 1 mile radius at the same time, made the whole thing sound like an atomic bomb. The scary part was that all that firepower (including really big fireworks) was operated by amateurs and across Romania hundreds of people were mutilated by fireworks.
Yesterday we came back to Piatra Neamt and in a surprising turn of events my dad got his driver license back. His license was supposed to be suspended for another 2 months but one of his friends came in today and gave him a paper saying that reconsidering the situation he will receive his license in the mail tomorrow. This friend of his has connections with the police and all that and although my father told him that he won’t bribe anybody, he convinced my mom that it would be nice for my dad to have his license back for his new job. So this guy new the right people and the right loopholes in the law, and just with a Xerox copy of my dad’s ID he somehow came back with that paper signed saying that the 90 days suspension was reduced to just 30 days. Ain’t corrupt Romania great? My dad is really confused now. He doesn’t know whether to be happy for having his license back, or to be sad for encouraging another act of corruption. Either way, this was the first day he got to drive the new car which you will be able to see on the website. He concluded that his new purchase was a good choice.
That’s about it here in Romanialand. I will try to keep you posted in a journal-like manner about the excitement of being back to RO. I am already more comfortable with people who don’t smile, with being surrounded and touched by random people in narrow streets and busy markets, and with shop owners that yell at you for no reason. But I am also enjoying at max the natural foods here, the real beer, and the amazing wines for a dollar, while sharing some good ol’ stories with my intentionally funny dad and my unintentionally hilarious mom.
Yesterday we came back to Piatra Neamt and in a surprising turn of events my dad got his driver license back. His license was supposed to be suspended for another 2 months but one of his friends came in today and gave him a paper saying that reconsidering the situation he will receive his license in the mail tomorrow. This friend of his has connections with the police and all that and although my father told him that he won’t bribe anybody, he convinced my mom that it would be nice for my dad to have his license back for his new job. So this guy new the right people and the right loopholes in the law, and just with a Xerox copy of my dad’s ID he somehow came back with that paper signed saying that the 90 days suspension was reduced to just 30 days. Ain’t corrupt Romania great? My dad is really confused now. He doesn’t know whether to be happy for having his license back, or to be sad for encouraging another act of corruption. Either way, this was the first day he got to drive the new car which you will be able to see on the website. He concluded that his new purchase was a good choice.
That’s about it here in Romanialand. I will try to keep you posted in a journal-like manner about the excitement of being back to RO. I am already more comfortable with people who don’t smile, with being surrounded and touched by random people in narrow streets and busy markets, and with shop owners that yell at you for no reason. But I am also enjoying at max the natural foods here, the real beer, and the amazing wines for a dollar, while sharing some good ol’ stories with my intentionally funny dad and my unintentionally hilarious mom.
Back to Romania
Because I too lazy I will take exercpts of the e-mail letters that I kept going with my friends just to freshen up this blog with the impressions of coming back to Romania.
Hello y’all from Dracula’s homeland.
This is my second day home and I am full of good stories. I am extremely excited about all the changes that I found home.
On the flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam I set next to a guy who does mission work in Tanzania. 7 hours of flight didn’t seem long enough to hear all his interesting stories, discuss the politics of the world and share my perspective on things. From Amsterdam to Bucharest I sat next to an American gal named Jenn who decided to move to Romania. She finished college at UW - Madison and accepted a job at an American consulting firm in Bucharest. Apparently she was in love with Romania’s culture and the extravagant lifestyle that she can afford here with an OK American salary.
I won’t bore you with the excitement of being with my fam again. We have a new car, tiny on the American standards, but quite all right for Romania’s gas prices. It has a bunch of gadgets inside and it looks very trendy and europeanish. My mom drove from the airport on the way home and I can honestly say that she is the worst driver ever. The good thing is that it’s mostly lack of experience, so I hope that with time she will get better. I guess that we got home safe and that’s all that counts. Just in front of us a nasty wreck happened. A drunk driver who happened to be a known politician’s brother, smashed his Mercedes SUV on the incoming lane into a little town car killing on the spot two parents and their 14 year old daughter.
Yesterday I witnessed with all the shock and awe the lack of customer service in Romania. I was at a Restaurant-Bar-Disco (whatever that means) when I ordered a drink and out of 10 choices on the menu they only had coke and mineral water, with no choice of size or ice. After half an hour I was brought the bottle of mineral water and the waitress spilled half of it on my lap in her unnecessary attempt to pour it in the glass. I found the whole thing very amusing.
More changes I found at home where my mom did some redesigning and redecorating of the rooms. My room is bigger with less furniture and my brother’s room has a new design with a top-notch orange futon. I was truly impressed by the internet connection that I have here, which beats the crappy University connection. Today I washed the car. It cost 2$ a car wash and a guy was handwashing your car in the 32 degree weather. It took him 20 minutes to make it spotless so I gave him another 50 cents and told him Happy New Year!. He cracked a big smile.
I hope everybody has a break as exciting as mine. Have fun, don’t eat too much and Happy New Year from me and my family.
Dragos
P.S. Now you can take a look at pictures of my room and you can see our new car on my webpage at the Photos section. Enjoy!
Hello y’all from Dracula’s homeland.
This is my second day home and I am full of good stories. I am extremely excited about all the changes that I found home.
On the flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam I set next to a guy who does mission work in Tanzania. 7 hours of flight didn’t seem long enough to hear all his interesting stories, discuss the politics of the world and share my perspective on things. From Amsterdam to Bucharest I sat next to an American gal named Jenn who decided to move to Romania. She finished college at UW - Madison and accepted a job at an American consulting firm in Bucharest. Apparently she was in love with Romania’s culture and the extravagant lifestyle that she can afford here with an OK American salary.
I won’t bore you with the excitement of being with my fam again. We have a new car, tiny on the American standards, but quite all right for Romania’s gas prices. It has a bunch of gadgets inside and it looks very trendy and europeanish. My mom drove from the airport on the way home and I can honestly say that she is the worst driver ever. The good thing is that it’s mostly lack of experience, so I hope that with time she will get better. I guess that we got home safe and that’s all that counts. Just in front of us a nasty wreck happened. A drunk driver who happened to be a known politician’s brother, smashed his Mercedes SUV on the incoming lane into a little town car killing on the spot two parents and their 14 year old daughter.
Yesterday I witnessed with all the shock and awe the lack of customer service in Romania. I was at a Restaurant-Bar-Disco (whatever that means) when I ordered a drink and out of 10 choices on the menu they only had coke and mineral water, with no choice of size or ice. After half an hour I was brought the bottle of mineral water and the waitress spilled half of it on my lap in her unnecessary attempt to pour it in the glass. I found the whole thing very amusing.
More changes I found at home where my mom did some redesigning and redecorating of the rooms. My room is bigger with less furniture and my brother’s room has a new design with a top-notch orange futon. I was truly impressed by the internet connection that I have here, which beats the crappy University connection. Today I washed the car. It cost 2$ a car wash and a guy was handwashing your car in the 32 degree weather. It took him 20 minutes to make it spotless so I gave him another 50 cents and told him Happy New Year!. He cracked a big smile.
I hope everybody has a break as exciting as mine. Have fun, don’t eat too much and Happy New Year from me and my family.
Dragos
P.S. Now you can take a look at pictures of my room and you can see our new car on my webpage at the Photos section. Enjoy!
Friday, December 17, 2004
Scrisoarea alegatorului roman
Pe site-ul lui Basescu a fost publicata o scrisoare foarte bine scrisa a "alegatorului roman". Am sa imi permit si eu sa o copii aici pentru ca sunt in totalitate de acord cu ea.
Ieri si azi am ramas mut la stirile din Romania. Ultimele actiuni ale lui Ilici sunt demne de povestile lui Caragiale, dar de un amar groaznic. Daca ii mai era cuiva neclar, Iliescu este acelasi bolsevic fidel, caruia nu ii pasa de nimeni sau nimic. E pur si simplu bolnav la madulare, un om care nu stie sa discearna intre bine si rau. Ba nu. De fapt, Ilici e un om care are inversate notiunile de bine si rau, ca un fidel elev al scolii comuniste .
Pentru el proprietatea si dreptatea sunt niste mofturi. Individul nu are nici o valoare. Democratia nu inseamna puterea data fiecarui om, ci puterea fizica pe care un grup de mineri "cu spirit civic muncitoresc" o arata unor golani de studenti anarhisti. Se pare insa ca a venit si timpul lui. Populatia fidela lui Iliescu incepe sa dispara in mod natural, iar oamenii cu un minim dram de inteligenta incept sa isi dea seama macar in al doispelea ceas cine e in spatele mastii pacaliciului. Mai mult ca oricind ar fi acum nevoie de niste alegeri anticipate.
Si iata scrisoarea, pe care o semnez si eu.
Ieri si azi am ramas mut la stirile din Romania. Ultimele actiuni ale lui Ilici sunt demne de povestile lui Caragiale, dar de un amar groaznic. Daca ii mai era cuiva neclar, Iliescu este acelasi bolsevic fidel, caruia nu ii pasa de nimeni sau nimic. E pur si simplu bolnav la madulare, un om care nu stie sa discearna intre bine si rau. Ba nu. De fapt, Ilici e un om care are inversate notiunile de bine si rau, ca un fidel elev al scolii comuniste .
Pentru el proprietatea si dreptatea sunt niste mofturi. Individul nu are nici o valoare. Democratia nu inseamna puterea data fiecarui om, ci puterea fizica pe care un grup de mineri "cu spirit civic muncitoresc" o arata unor golani de studenti anarhisti. Se pare insa ca a venit si timpul lui. Populatia fidela lui Iliescu incepe sa dispara in mod natural, iar oamenii cu un minim dram de inteligenta incept sa isi dea seama macar in al doispelea ceas cine e in spatele mastii pacaliciului. Mai mult ca oricind ar fi acum nevoie de niste alegeri anticipate.
Si iata scrisoarea, pe care o semnez si eu.
Draga Traiane,
Sunt eu, alegatorul tau. Duminica, am mers cu prietenii la vot. Mi-amluat mama de mina si i-am spus: hai la vot, ca nu mai pot.
Duminica si luni am fost in strada de bucurie ca mai erau 5 milioane care nu i-au mai suportat. A fost tare fain, ii spun: ai cei mai faini alegatori.
De duminica incoace, noi astia 5 milioane ne uitam la televizor si vedem cum Marko Bella, Dan Voiculescu si Viorel Hrebenciuc iti fac guvernul. Baietii astia seamana cu Verdet, care facea guverne prin CC in 21 decembrie. Si noi stam cu totii prostiti si nu stim daca sa ii luam in serios sau nu.
Traiane, nu ii lua in serios. Astia sint in stare sa fure si votul deduminca. Nu ai de ce sa stai la mina lor. Du-te in parlament si zi-le: oameni buni, asta e guvernul meu si asta e programul lui. Ai grija sa spui ceva acolo de clasa mijlocie, pentru PUR, si fii generos cu minoritatile, pentru UDMR. Pentru PSD nu spune nimic, dar fii rau cu coruptia. Din cite am inteles eu, politica se face pe programe, asa ca nu ar avea de ce sa nu fie de acord.
Traiane, daca tot nu vor, lasa-i in plata Domnului si vino inapoi la mine. Fa anticipate, esti presedintele ales si e dreptul tau prin Constitutie. Iti promit ca imi chem prietenii, imi iau mama de mina si le zic: hai sa il ajutam! Si iti dam parlamentul tau asa cum ti-am dat si echipa ta in consiliul Capitalei. Si vom fi mai multi decit in 28 noiembrie, vor veni si cei care traiau cu frica, si cei care nu credeau ca e posibil.
Dupa asta, nu mai vreau nimic de la tine. Sa guvernezi cum stii tu, apoi ne vedem la viitoarele alegeri cind iti voi arata daca ai meritat sau nu.
Sa dai legi clare si impozite mici. Sa lasi in pace presa si justitia, chiar daca nu iti convine ce zic si ce fac. Si las-o mai moale cu Rosia Montana. Sa nu ma jignesti cu ajutoare sociale, lemne de foc, corn si lapte. Spaga e tot hotie, chiar si aia electorala. In rest, am eu grija sa traiesc bine. Sa traiesti si tu!
Semnat
Alegatorul tau.
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Multe lucruri care merita spuse aici s-au adunat in ultima vreme. Si pentru ca in 2 saptamini ma duc in Romania hai sa le relatez in romana. Am sa le iau pe rind.
Am terminat inca un semestru si dupa ultima stire vor fi doar note de A. La cursul de analiza avansata aveam ceva emotii pentru ca nu am facut asa de bine cum as fi vrut la examenul final, dar erau sanse putine ca cineva sa fi adunat mai multe puncte decit mine pe intreg semestrul. Sunt mandru de rezultat pentru ca semestrul asta a fost cel mai dificil de pina acum. Au fost altele mai aglomerate dar asta a necesitat cel mai mult creier.
Intr-o alta categorie, dar la fel de energizanta, e vestea ca Basescu a cistigat alegerile prezidentiale. De cind sunt in State sunt foarte atent la ce se scrie in ziare in Romania poate pentru a hrani o parte inconstienta din mine. Pe deasupra, mediul progresist din campusul colegiilor americane (si nici macar Arkansas nu face exceptie) promoveaza viata politica activa, implicata, bine informata a oricarui om care are pretentia de cetatean. Chiar daca eu am fost pina la sfirsit optimist, cind i-am rugat pe cei din tara sa dea cu stampila pe Basescu de multe ori am primit raspunsuri de un pesimism debordant. S-a intimplat in cel putin 4 cazuri si asta la oameni la care nu ma asteptam. Intotdeauna cind am citit povestiri din vremurile Romaniei comuniste m-am intrebat cum de s-a putut ajunge la asa ceva. Daca majoritatea oamenilor traiau incomfortabil, asupriti, calcati cu cizma de ce nu se impotriveau? Cu siguranta ca la inceput securitatea nu era asa de bine organizata incit sa ii omoare pe toti. Ce pret mai are viata daca nu e libera si demna? Banuiam ca si altii s-au uitat la aceste fapte din trecut si au incercat sa invete niste lectii.
Dar fosti colegi de liceu, care cu siguranta nu au trait frica unei asupriri a libertatilor lor, cind mi-au spus ca nu se vor duce la vot mi-au aratat ca si azi e posibil sa scapam pe o panta oligarhica si nedemocratica fara ca nimeni sa isi dea seama. Nu mai stiu unde citeam cu citeva zile o gluma sarcastica care surprinde fidel situatie democratiei romanesti. Cind voteaza, un intelectual si un analfabet au aceleasi valoare. Dar doi intelectuali nu fac cit un analfabet, pentru ca unul din destepti va gasi un motiv sa nu se duca la vot. La fel, din trei intelectuali unul o sa zica ca o sa iasa tot aia, iar altul o sa ii gaseasca pe ambii candidati cu bube in cap. Credeti ca patru intelectuali valoreaza cit un prost, dar va inselati amarnic. Un destept stie dinainte cine iese, altul e suparat pe toata clasa politica care e formata numai din tampiti, iar al treilea prefera sa se delecteze la o lectura culta in loc sa piarda vremea la vot, care si asa e inutil. Se vede usor prin inductie ca in democratia din Romania nici o suta de destepti nu fac cit un prost care voteaza.
Mai pe scurt, toti vor sa traiasca bine, sa scape de coruptie, sa iasa din mizerie dar nimeni nu isi asuma o minima responsabilitate. Iar cel mai elementar lucru pe care oricine il poate face e sa deschida ochii si sa vada ce inseamna PSD'ul, sa vada setea narcisista de putere a lui Nastase si ce ar insemna ea pentru Romania pentru inca 10 ani. Din fericire, exista un Basescu, un lider innascut nu devenit, care a mai reusit sa ii traga pe oameni de mineca putin. Un lucru foarte ciudat e ca in limba engleza cind se vorbeste despre o functie de conducere se foloseste verbul a servit (X serveste ca presedinte si nu X este presedinte) pentru ca scopul inteles al unui lider e sa isi serveasca grupul. De la 89 incoace Basescu e singurul care a venit cu un asemenea mesaj direct catre fiecare om in care spune eu nu sunt cel mai bun, dar voi aveti nevoie de mine, si eu am nevoie de voi ca sa scoatem tara din rahat. Ca sa inchei pe o nota amuzanta, la CNN reporterul i-a pocit numele lui Basescu in Bashescu. Nu mai e nici o indoiala. E marinar, e chior, e urit si se basheshte, dar a aratat ca stie sa faca treaba. Cred cu optimism aproape naiv ca o sa continue sa faca multe lucruri bune.
Un alt lucru pe care l-am aflat e ca doamna profesoara Ana Lupescu a primit distinctia "Meritul pentru invatamint". Doamna Lupescu mi-a fost profesoara de chimie in scoala generala si e probabil omul care m-a inspirat si motivat cel mai mult sa ajung unde, ce si cine sunt astazi. Aceeasi distinctie a primit-o si domnul Ioan Zgirciu profesorul meu de chimie din liceu cu care am continuat pe drumul inceput. Amindoi au depus multa munca sa ma ajute. Venind dintr-o Romanie bolnava, vestea ca valoarea si performanta mai sunt pretuite, macar simbolic, e foarte imbucuratoare. Sper sa ii pot vedea pe amindoi in vacanta si sa le multumesc din nou. Citeva cuvinte bune sunt nepretuite uneori.
Am terminat inca un semestru si dupa ultima stire vor fi doar note de A. La cursul de analiza avansata aveam ceva emotii pentru ca nu am facut asa de bine cum as fi vrut la examenul final, dar erau sanse putine ca cineva sa fi adunat mai multe puncte decit mine pe intreg semestrul. Sunt mandru de rezultat pentru ca semestrul asta a fost cel mai dificil de pina acum. Au fost altele mai aglomerate dar asta a necesitat cel mai mult creier.
Intr-o alta categorie, dar la fel de energizanta, e vestea ca Basescu a cistigat alegerile prezidentiale. De cind sunt in State sunt foarte atent la ce se scrie in ziare in Romania poate pentru a hrani o parte inconstienta din mine. Pe deasupra, mediul progresist din campusul colegiilor americane (si nici macar Arkansas nu face exceptie) promoveaza viata politica activa, implicata, bine informata a oricarui om care are pretentia de cetatean. Chiar daca eu am fost pina la sfirsit optimist, cind i-am rugat pe cei din tara sa dea cu stampila pe Basescu de multe ori am primit raspunsuri de un pesimism debordant. S-a intimplat in cel putin 4 cazuri si asta la oameni la care nu ma asteptam. Intotdeauna cind am citit povestiri din vremurile Romaniei comuniste m-am intrebat cum de s-a putut ajunge la asa ceva. Daca majoritatea oamenilor traiau incomfortabil, asupriti, calcati cu cizma de ce nu se impotriveau? Cu siguranta ca la inceput securitatea nu era asa de bine organizata incit sa ii omoare pe toti. Ce pret mai are viata daca nu e libera si demna? Banuiam ca si altii s-au uitat la aceste fapte din trecut si au incercat sa invete niste lectii.
Dar fosti colegi de liceu, care cu siguranta nu au trait frica unei asupriri a libertatilor lor, cind mi-au spus ca nu se vor duce la vot mi-au aratat ca si azi e posibil sa scapam pe o panta oligarhica si nedemocratica fara ca nimeni sa isi dea seama. Nu mai stiu unde citeam cu citeva zile o gluma sarcastica care surprinde fidel situatie democratiei romanesti. Cind voteaza, un intelectual si un analfabet au aceleasi valoare. Dar doi intelectuali nu fac cit un analfabet, pentru ca unul din destepti va gasi un motiv sa nu se duca la vot. La fel, din trei intelectuali unul o sa zica ca o sa iasa tot aia, iar altul o sa ii gaseasca pe ambii candidati cu bube in cap. Credeti ca patru intelectuali valoreaza cit un prost, dar va inselati amarnic. Un destept stie dinainte cine iese, altul e suparat pe toata clasa politica care e formata numai din tampiti, iar al treilea prefera sa se delecteze la o lectura culta in loc sa piarda vremea la vot, care si asa e inutil. Se vede usor prin inductie ca in democratia din Romania nici o suta de destepti nu fac cit un prost care voteaza.
Mai pe scurt, toti vor sa traiasca bine, sa scape de coruptie, sa iasa din mizerie dar nimeni nu isi asuma o minima responsabilitate. Iar cel mai elementar lucru pe care oricine il poate face e sa deschida ochii si sa vada ce inseamna PSD'ul, sa vada setea narcisista de putere a lui Nastase si ce ar insemna ea pentru Romania pentru inca 10 ani. Din fericire, exista un Basescu, un lider innascut nu devenit, care a mai reusit sa ii traga pe oameni de mineca putin. Un lucru foarte ciudat e ca in limba engleza cind se vorbeste despre o functie de conducere se foloseste verbul a servit (X serveste ca presedinte si nu X este presedinte) pentru ca scopul inteles al unui lider e sa isi serveasca grupul. De la 89 incoace Basescu e singurul care a venit cu un asemenea mesaj direct catre fiecare om in care spune eu nu sunt cel mai bun, dar voi aveti nevoie de mine, si eu am nevoie de voi ca sa scoatem tara din rahat. Ca sa inchei pe o nota amuzanta, la CNN reporterul i-a pocit numele lui Basescu in Bashescu. Nu mai e nici o indoiala. E marinar, e chior, e urit si se basheshte, dar a aratat ca stie sa faca treaba. Cred cu optimism aproape naiv ca o sa continue sa faca multe lucruri bune.
Un alt lucru pe care l-am aflat e ca doamna profesoara Ana Lupescu a primit distinctia "Meritul pentru invatamint". Doamna Lupescu mi-a fost profesoara de chimie in scoala generala si e probabil omul care m-a inspirat si motivat cel mai mult sa ajung unde, ce si cine sunt astazi. Aceeasi distinctie a primit-o si domnul Ioan Zgirciu profesorul meu de chimie din liceu cu care am continuat pe drumul inceput. Amindoi au depus multa munca sa ma ajute. Venind dintr-o Romanie bolnava, vestea ca valoarea si performanta mai sunt pretuite, macar simbolic, e foarte imbucuratoare. Sper sa ii pot vedea pe amindoi in vacanta si sa le multumesc din nou. Citeva cuvinte bune sunt nepretuite uneori.
Sunday, December 05, 2004
Romanian Scammers
Before I go to bed I have to post these links about some Romanian scammers. link 1 & link 2. This is the kind of reading not recommended for the light-hearted. I don't remember how I stumbled upon one website but curiosity kept me reading and led me to another one. Aafter reading a few postings I just felt nauseous. Literally sick. Subhuman language used to brag about inhuman actions that in any normal society would be punished with long years in prison. Pure bitter hatred flows in these hackers' messages. They might think Americans are stupid, they might think they are geniuses just because they can scam gullible people on e-bay, but what they don't see is that some day they will pay for their actions, and it will hurt them bad. What do these people become when they're 50, 60, 80? How do they treat their families? What do they tell their children?
My sincere advice to anybody reading this is: Never, never, please.. never ever buy or even contemplate buying something from Romania. And please don't let a few idiots represent a whole country. Just to cheer things up check this online photo gallery from Romania. Besides dirty scumbags Romania has beautiful places and talented photographers.
My sincere advice to anybody reading this is: Never, never, please.. never ever buy or even contemplate buying something from Romania. And please don't let a few idiots represent a whole country. Just to cheer things up check this online photo gallery from Romania. Besides dirty scumbags Romania has beautiful places and talented photographers.
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
In Romanian - for the first time
Asta e prima data cind scriu in acest jurnal in limba romana. E ceva special pentru o ocazie speciala. Duminica sunt alegerile parlamentare si prezidentiale in Romania, si voi avea ocazia sa votez la sectia de votare din Dallas, la 600km de Fayetteville si University of Arkansas. In ultimii ani, dar mai ales in ultimele saptamini am urmarit foarte atent stirile din Romania. In cei trei ani si jumatate de cind sunt in State am realizat importanta politicii in viata de zi cu zi a oamenilor. Cind eram in Romania ma gindeam cu scirba la sistemul corupt din politica, la uniformitatea tuturor partidelor, la politicieni ca la o gloate de profitori, speram cu naivitate la oameni perfecti, modele de inteligenta si moralitate care sa ma reprezinte. Doar acum imi dau seama ca nu exista tara in lumea asta unde politica e un ceas elvetian. In America, cea mai veche democratie din lume, aproape 30% din lume nu s-a identificat cu nici unul din candidati. Lipsa cronica de inteligenta si legaturile directe ale lui Bush cu familia regala din Arabia Saudita, furturile indirecte din buget ale lui Dick Cheney prin firma sa Halliburton, indecizia cronica a lui John Kerry, un bogat putred care cerea votul oamenilor simpli si saraci, sau smecheria lui John Edwards, un avocat slinos care apara pe oricine care ii ofera mai multi bani au scirbit pe multi americani. In Franta in alegerile trecute oamenii au avut de ales intre un candidat rau si unul abominabil. La fel s-a intimplat si in Romania in 2000 cind am avut de ales intre un comunist si un nebun.
Oricit de amar e gustul politicii si oricit de imperfect arata sistemul, asta e democratia. Unii profita de pe urma lipsei de interes a altora. Dar mai exista undeva, in coltul cel mai negru al cutiei, SPERANTA. Fiecare om are un singur mod de a isi face vocea auzita, de a spune ce crede, de a ii scuipa intre ochi pe cei care l-au furat, de a spera in ceva mai bun. Acesta este VOTUL. Patapievici are un comentariu superb la Europa Libera prin care argumenteaza foarte elocvent ca nu e nimic mai democratic decit un vot contra. Refuzul de a merge la vot, o greva japoneza politica, mi separe metoda cea mai ineficace de lupta. Inteligenta le induce frica PSD'istilor, si indecizia oamenilor care gindesc este exact ce vor sa se intimple. Cosmarul care are loc acum in Ukraina, convorbirile gen clanul Gotti ce au loc la sedintele PSD, armata de minciunosi, lichele si idioti care se incoloneaza in spatele lui Nastase" ar trebui sa indrepte pe toata lumea la cabinele de vot pe 28 noiembrie si sa le dea acestor mafioti ce merita.
Nimeni nu garanteaza ca totul se va schimba peste noapte. Cu siguranta Basescu nu e un Prisnea-cel-Voinic, dar nimeni nu poate sa argumenteze ca e mai putin cinstit decit Nastase. Basescu stie sa faca. A condus nave, a schimbat Bucurestiul, a spus intotdeauna ce gindeste, le-a dat cu tifla la toti care l-au calcat pe coada, in timp ce Nastase a lins pe oricine l-a lasat. Deasemenea nu cred ca poate cineva sa o compare pe doamna Mona Musca cu unealta de Ecaterina Andronescu. E o gluma sa il pui alaturi pe un Tariceanu care a condus cu profit citeva firme cu un Mitrea care abia a reusit sa termine liceul. Exemplele sunt nenumarate. Sunt plin de speranta ca fiecare va deschide ochii si se va duce sa voteze. SPER.
P.S. Poate sunt eu cel naiv, dar chiar daca ceva o sa se schimbe sau nu, voi fi cu constiinta impacata ca am facut tot ce am putut. Si sper sa nu se ajunga la varianta asta.
Oricit de amar e gustul politicii si oricit de imperfect arata sistemul, asta e democratia. Unii profita de pe urma lipsei de interes a altora. Dar mai exista undeva, in coltul cel mai negru al cutiei, SPERANTA. Fiecare om are un singur mod de a isi face vocea auzita, de a spune ce crede, de a ii scuipa intre ochi pe cei care l-au furat, de a spera in ceva mai bun. Acesta este VOTUL. Patapievici are un comentariu superb la Europa Libera prin care argumenteaza foarte elocvent ca nu e nimic mai democratic decit un vot contra. Refuzul de a merge la vot, o greva japoneza politica, mi separe metoda cea mai ineficace de lupta. Inteligenta le induce frica PSD'istilor, si indecizia oamenilor care gindesc este exact ce vor sa se intimple. Cosmarul care are loc acum in Ukraina, convorbirile gen clanul Gotti ce au loc la sedintele PSD, armata de minciunosi, lichele si idioti care se incoloneaza in spatele lui Nastase" ar trebui sa indrepte pe toata lumea la cabinele de vot pe 28 noiembrie si sa le dea acestor mafioti ce merita.
Nimeni nu garanteaza ca totul se va schimba peste noapte. Cu siguranta Basescu nu e un Prisnea-cel-Voinic, dar nimeni nu poate sa argumenteze ca e mai putin cinstit decit Nastase. Basescu stie sa faca. A condus nave, a schimbat Bucurestiul, a spus intotdeauna ce gindeste, le-a dat cu tifla la toti care l-au calcat pe coada, in timp ce Nastase a lins pe oricine l-a lasat. Deasemenea nu cred ca poate cineva sa o compare pe doamna Mona Musca cu unealta de Ecaterina Andronescu. E o gluma sa il pui alaturi pe un Tariceanu care a condus cu profit citeva firme cu un Mitrea care abia a reusit sa termine liceul. Exemplele sunt nenumarate. Sunt plin de speranta ca fiecare va deschide ochii si se va duce sa voteze. SPER.
P.S. Poate sunt eu cel naiv, dar chiar daca ceva o sa se schimbe sau nu, voi fi cu constiinta impacata ca am facut tot ce am putut. Si sper sa nu se ajunga la varianta asta.
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
America and Wal-Mart
What is America like?
I will hear this question more than a hundred times while in Romania this December. And I know there are millions others that want to know the answer to this question. People have dreams about the Promise land, and many of them are misconceptions. I can only relate to myself 4-5 years ago. So every time I try to answer this question I get bogged down under piles of details. Direct comparison doesn't work because America is so different than anything else. Examples don't work either because America is so diverse. Well, the other day I watched a documentary about Wal-Mart on PBS and I thought it was the best short lesson on America that I have seen so far.
You can go to http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/ and read the interviews, main points and discussion. After Friday they will have the entire show in video format, so if you have a good internet connection you can try to watch it online. I rarely find things that I get excited about anymore, and I felt like I needed to shout to the entire world about this documentary. If by any chance you have the slightest curiosity about what drives America, what makes America move forward you have to see this show.
If you don't have time to sit down and waste (in your opinion) an hour of your life or if your internet is too slow then I can try to sum it up in a few words here. The show is about Wal-Mart the No. 1 company in the world. The company is founded in Bentonville, Arkansas a few miles north of Fayetteville, where I study at University of Arkansas. Wal-Mart grew exponentially over the past 10 years. It started with a little grocery store in the 70's and now has 40% of the retail market of America. Yeas, entire America, the biggest consumer market in the world. Last year Wal-Mart had sales of 250 billion dollars, more than the budget of some countries, more than the sum of its 3 or 4 competitors.
America= capitalism+succes+profit+image and Wal-Mart is nothing less. It sounds like Wal-Mart is perfect, right? Well not quite. How is this success achieved? How are the profits really made? How big is the greed that generates success, what are the repercussions of these profits, and what is society's net gain out of the whole deal? I can't give a definite answer to this one, but you can make your own opinion after you watch the documentary. It's a really close call, I tell you. I am sure it will make some people excited about the smarts of Wal-Mart and others disgusted with this cunny and merciless system we like to call capitalism.
I will hear this question more than a hundred times while in Romania this December. And I know there are millions others that want to know the answer to this question. People have dreams about the Promise land, and many of them are misconceptions. I can only relate to myself 4-5 years ago. So every time I try to answer this question I get bogged down under piles of details. Direct comparison doesn't work because America is so different than anything else. Examples don't work either because America is so diverse. Well, the other day I watched a documentary about Wal-Mart on PBS and I thought it was the best short lesson on America that I have seen so far.
You can go to http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/ and read the interviews, main points and discussion. After Friday they will have the entire show in video format, so if you have a good internet connection you can try to watch it online. I rarely find things that I get excited about anymore, and I felt like I needed to shout to the entire world about this documentary. If by any chance you have the slightest curiosity about what drives America, what makes America move forward you have to see this show.
If you don't have time to sit down and waste (in your opinion) an hour of your life or if your internet is too slow then I can try to sum it up in a few words here. The show is about Wal-Mart the No. 1 company in the world. The company is founded in Bentonville, Arkansas a few miles north of Fayetteville, where I study at University of Arkansas. Wal-Mart grew exponentially over the past 10 years. It started with a little grocery store in the 70's and now has 40% of the retail market of America. Yeas, entire America, the biggest consumer market in the world. Last year Wal-Mart had sales of 250 billion dollars, more than the budget of some countries, more than the sum of its 3 or 4 competitors.
America= capitalism+succes+profit+image and Wal-Mart is nothing less. It sounds like Wal-Mart is perfect, right? Well not quite. How is this success achieved? How are the profits really made? How big is the greed that generates success, what are the repercussions of these profits, and what is society's net gain out of the whole deal? I can't give a definite answer to this one, but you can make your own opinion after you watch the documentary. It's a really close call, I tell you. I am sure it will make some people excited about the smarts of Wal-Mart and others disgusted with this cunny and merciless system we like to call capitalism.
Saturday, October 30, 2004
Garden State
Yesterday I saw a movie that deserves an entry in this blog. Garden State is an independent film written and directed by Zach Braff who also plays the main character. The film is a journey of self appraisal, of homecoming and discovering the beauty of simple life. As the main character learnsmore about himself, he gets caught in a unconventional relationship that develops into a love-story. For me this movie had the optimistic taste of Amelie projected on the current American culture. But probably the main attraction to Garden State is its soundtrack, which I have been listening to for a couple of weeks and it seems to grow on me with every occasion. If you are looking for a movie with a real message take my word and go and see Garden State. Buying the soundtrack wouldn't be a bad idea either!
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Kerry will lose
I think it's time for another entry in my blog. I just finished watching the last presidential debate and I have reached a verdict. I know who is going to win the 2004 election. I risk sounding ridiculous, but I think Kerry will lose. I was watching the debate and I just realized that Kerry will lose just because he is catholic. It is a fact that the protestant community decided the election four years ago when they voted for Bush's messianic message. I think that this time around the protestants will vote against Kerry just because they can't identify with him. This huge voting base will not be able to trust Kerry because he is a catholic.
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