This is where I'm situated

The Political Compass

Economic Left/Right: -3.50
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.05

Post-socialist Consumerism

As it's quite late, I will only post some photos, but I 'll deepen the idea of post-socialist consumerism in future posts. :)
They are taken in the event of the Romanian National Day which coincided with the lighting of the Millennium Bank Christmas Tree - the tallest in Europe, as marketed. (Un)fortunately (?), I have not been present, but a quick google search will prove that media and bloggers' world exploded on the issue.


A neat Piata Unirii panorama

http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=163308936&size=l

The Tree and Fireworks

http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2085505554&size=m

The Tree, wider angle (backwards, there's also Unirea Shopping Center, a former communist department store).

http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2094736358&size=m

Somewhat an opposite angle of the picture above, with people and cars stuck in traffic

http://www.pahomi.ro/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/unirii-0112-1.jpg

Endgame in Kosovo

As the issue is under debate at the moment, here is a link to the New York Times extras, presenting a poignant multimedia material on Kosovo. Recent evolution - the failure of the Kosovo status talks, the election of Thaci and his future alliance with Fatmir Sejdiu - makes independence of Kosovo the most probable scenario of the near future.

Sewerage Works in Bucharest

Works to develop the sewerage infrastructure in the area (Rahova, one of Bucharest's districts) started in late August and there's little sign of coming to an end. Probably the pavements provided by the companies of general mayor Videanu were already paid for and ready to be settled.

The US Approach on 'Security'

I have been reading an article in Romanian this morning announcing the US Government's decision to scan for fingerprints every foreigner that enters the country, and I remembered something I had read some time ago.
Professor Hasan Elahi decided to make his life public after being ridiculously suspected of terrorist activity (transporting explosives), arrested and questioned for several months. The website professor Elahi created is an elegant form of resistance to the consequences of the implementation of the US security system but, at the same time, a mockery at the post-9/11 paranoia regarding security.
So, what's next on the security agenda of the US Government? What would bring about the clash of this information overfed system of surveillance in the context of devaluation of information - as Elahi's project proves?

carte

"Félix Guattari (1930-1992), agitator politic (troţkist), psihanalist, filosof, lider, în anii '60-'70, al mişcării antipsihiatrice, creator al "schizanalizei" (împotriva psihanalizei lacaniene dominante), al "ecosofiei" şi al revistei Chimères, pionier al radiourilor asociative..."