The end (sfârşit) of the First World War (primul război mondial) saw the union of all the regions inhabited by Romanians. The provinces of Transylvania, Banat and Bessarabia were added to the country to create what Romanians called România Mare. During the reigns of Ferdiand (1914-27), Carol II (1930-40) and Michael (1940-7), efforts were made to develop Romania. Modern highways (şosele) were built, a public bus, rail (calea ferată) and air system were introduced, and electricty (electricitate), gas (gaze) and water (apă) were brought to towns. More schools (şcoli) and hospitals (spitale) were also constructed. However, despite these advances the life of the peasants in the villages remained largely unchanged. Before the outbreak of the Second World War (al doilea război mondial) 80% of Romania’s 18 million people lived on the land (pământ).

In June 1940 the Soviet Union seized Besserabia and two months later Romania lost more territory, this time to Hungary, when, under pressure from Germany, she was forced to give away the northern part of Transylvania. At the end of the Second World War in 1945 Soviet troops occupied Romania and the first steps were taken to communize the country. This involved the abolition of all institutions and the creation of new ones, and the imprisonment of all those who opposed this process. The complete subjugation (subjugare) of Romania to the Soviet Union was marked by King Michael’s forced abdication (abdicare) in December 1947 and the proclomation (proclamare) of the Romanian People’s Republic.

The Main Candidates

Traian Basescu

Traian Băsescu (Romanian pronunciation: [traˈjan bəˈsesku]; born November 4, 1951) is a Romanian politician and former Merchant Navy officer. He is the current President of Romania, after winning the office in the 2004 presidential election, and being inaugurated on December 20, 2004. Prior to becoming President, he was the Mayor of Bucharest from June 2000 until December 2004.

On April 19, 2007 the Romanian Parliament suspended Băsescu. As the Constitutional Court of Romania acknowledged the Parliament’s vote on April 20, 2007, Băsescu remained suspended as president until a referendum which took place on May 19, 2007 confirmed that the impeachment should not stand: 24.75% voted to impeach Băsescu, and 74.48% to maintain him. Băsescu is the first president in the history of Romania who has been officially suspended.

(more…)

Here are some pictures of stray dogs / puppies in Navodări next to the RomPetrol factory. We found them on the ‘dig‘ (Romanian for dam, or pier). Au murit de foame (they were starving, dying of hunger).

Very short video: Stray Puppies Eating

I have recently discovered a new website called ‘Pictures of Romania‘. It gives an insight into family life and culture in Romania, with a nice personal touch.

A notable feature is the ‘request a picture’ page.

Here is an overview of some of the most acclaimed and successful contemporary Romanian films, all great introductions to the region’s cinema.

5. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005)

This medical drama follows the title character as he waits for attention in a rundown hospital emergency ward – and unwittingly begins a nightmarish journey of horrendous mistreatment at the hands of the hospital staff. This bleak film is not easy to watch. Some say (and I agree) that it brings to mind Lars Von Triers‘ The Kingdom, though more realistic and less hallucinatory. The movie won numerous awards in films festivals, including Un Certain Regard award in 2005 Cannes Film Festival. To this day it is the most awarded Romanian film of all time.

(more…)

I have just found a site with hundreds of photos from all the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Romania. Here is a map of the places covered:

The site can be found here.

Ways To watch BBC iPlayer abroad?

It is perhaps the most asked query of expats, but the answer is an easy YES.
For people who live overseas, like me, there comes a time when you miss a bit of good old Brit television. Ever since the BBC launched iPlayer there was a little hope out there for watching BBC iplayer abroad. However if you have attempted to attach while abroad all you get is ‘Currently BBC iPlayer television programs are available to play in the United Kingdom only…’ How annoying!

So its now possible Watch BBC iPlayer abroad?
Of course it is possible, if you search through Google you will find heaps of options. A lot of them are either expensive or just do not work. I’ll list them all, so you can decide for on your own, but in the end there are just a couple of true options to watch BBC iPlayer abroad. That is methods which will always work.

What you need to Do
The BBC restricts access to its iPlayer service by checking the physical location of the Internet provider you are using to connect to the Net. If it’s based in the UK you will be able to view, if it isn’t then they block you from viewing. It is as simple as that!

All you require to watch BBC iPlayer abroad is make it seem like you are located in the United Kingdom.

No Cost techniques to watch BBC iPlayer Abroad
If you’ve got access to a PC back in the United Kingdom you can make a virtual private network tunnel back to that PC and connect to the iPlayer web site thru that PC, this can cause it to look like you are in the United Kingdom.

So How Well Does It Work?
Not well to be honest, there are a number of issues. Firstly you must have a PC on in the United Kingdom all of the time, and if there is any technical problems with that computer you are going to be stuck till you get back to fix it. Second, and more importantly, while your download speed in the United Kingdom could be good you will find the upload speed is far to slow to allow consistent TV viewing.

Any other free methods to watch BBC iPlayer abroad?
Well you can look at TOR or Foxyproxy which both offer a free proxy service, which like a VPN makes it seem like your PC is in the United Kingdom. However all free proxies are too slow to watch BBC iPlayer abroad, they just do not have enough speed for all the free users. They are also quite hard to setup, without help.

The Best Option to watch BBC iPlayer Abroad
Firstly should you pick substitute or VPN options, well the neatest thing is to have BOTH! The software I use is Identity Cloaker which gives you a premium high speed United Kingdom proxy and United Kingdom VPN option. This will enable you to view iPlayer live and download programs to view when you want.
The software wasn’t originally made for television viewing, it is just a byproduct of what it does. As such they do not even state this use on their website!

There is a ten day trial available for a few euros (the free version is of no use if you’d like to watch iplayer abroad {as it is too restrictive|ass it only works for certain sites, as it does not work for TV sites). After that the software costs less than seven euros a month, so it is reallly a bargain for those among us who need to watch iPlayer abroad!

Have a look…

Crama Sibiul Vechi (The Old Sibiu Restaurant), A.Papiu Ilarian nr.3, Tel. +40-269-210461.. Celler/basement restaurant offering traditional Romanian cuisine at reasonable prices.

More Coming Soon…

Twenty years after Ceausescu’s execution his secret service is still active. For the first time, Romanian-German writer Herta Müller describes her ongoing experience of Securitate terror.

For me each journey to Romania is also a journey into another time, in which I never knew which events in my life were coincidence and which were staged. This is why I have, in each and every public statement I have made, demanded access to the secret files kept on me which, under various pretexts, has invariably been denied me. Instead, each time there was signs that I was once again, that is to say, still under observation.

Read More: http://www.signandsight.com/features/1910.html

We have added a new polls feature to the website. Please check back regularly for updates.