December 2008

Notes & Queries

by Craig Turp December 23, 2008 Media

 So, we have a government, albeit one led by Little Emil Boc and which includes Elena Udrea as Minister of Tourism. Odds on the same government being in office at this time next year? Slim and none, and slim is out of town. Next year is another election year: presidential elections. Traian Basescu is up [...]

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We’ve Got a Stalker

by Craig Turp December 19, 2008 Media

 A while ago, we used to write an occasional column in Ziarul Financiar. Nothing spectacular, just the usual man in the pub rantings of a chippy expat. The archive, should anyone be remotely interested, is here. Anyway, someone who is interested is someone called Maria-Cristina Serban, who keeps sending us emails with little comments, the [...]

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From Ferrari to Fundeni

by Craig Turp December 19, 2008 Romania

 Turns out that yesterday’s nomination of Elena Udrea as the new Minister of Tourism was not the most bizarre nomination of the day. No, that honour goes to Ion Bazac, of the PSD, best known until now as the go to man in Romania for Ferraris. No doubt his experience of selling luxury cars will [...]

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The Standard We Can Expect?

by Craig Turp December 18, 2008 Romanian Politics

 If Bucharest does ever open a Tourist Information Centre (see discussion below this post) it is to be hoped that it will do a better job than the Romanian National Tourist office. Here’s their map of the Bucharest metro…See that station at the eastern end of the red line, Antilopa? Doesn’t exist. Still, I’m sure [...]

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Udrea: Minister of Tourism

by Craig Turp December 18, 2008 Romanian Politics

 Now this, you really couldn’t make up. Elena Udrea, left, whose only qualification for anything appears to be the fact that she doesn’t look bad in a bikini, has been named provisional Minister of Tourism in the new government of Little Emil Boc. Now, while she does look fair in a bikini – we’ll give [...]

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Belfast’s Mayor

by Craig Turp December 17, 2008 Bucharest

 You know, talking to the Mayor of Belfast Tom Hartley last week, and then watching him give IYP founder Matthias Luefkens a guided tour of the Falls Road, it really brought home the difference between civic duty in western and eastern Europe. I mean, Hartley did not have to stay late at the office last [...]

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Le Web Without the Web

by Craig Turp December 17, 2008 Media

 Not sure how many Romanian bloggers made it to Le Web last week, but given that I’ve read nowt on the subject I doubt any were able to stump up the rather steep fee that this ultimate bullshit conference charges. Le Web‘s organisers make Romania’s own fleece merchants, Evensys, look like amateurs. Anyway, here’s a [...]

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