Category Archives: History

After the Revolution

I am re-posting this article from 2015 because it seems that in Romania, the revolution is indeed never over: – – – This afternoon I had a brief exchange with a friend about the long-term effects of the Romanian revolution, probably … Continue reading

Posted in Books, History, Iran, Philosophy, Politics, Romania | Tagged | 8 Comments

Maritime Law with Cats

When I started this blog, I promised myself that I would never stoop as low as other blogs who use photos of cats to surreptitiously obtain their readers’ affection. But now I have come across a historical source of law … Continue reading

Posted in Books, History, Law, Travel | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Easily Confused (62) GDP

Donald Trump on GDP: I already understood more about GDP in 9th grade. But then, I just went to a regular public school. Robert Kennedy on GDP:

Posted in Economics, History, Politics, USA | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Winston Churchill on New Year’s Resolutions

It’s mid-February. If you are like me, most of your new year’s resolutions have already dissipated, been forgotten or pushed to March or April. The smarter ones among you won’t have made any resolutions in the first place. But if … Continue reading

Posted in Books, History, Life, Military, Politics, Time, UK, World War II | Tagged , | 16 Comments

How one translator opened Romania to the world

Posted in Cinema, Cold War, History, Language, Romania | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Who made the first infographic?

Reading about Alexander von Humboldt’s scientific voyage in South America, I stumbled upon his Naturgemälde (“painting of nature”) which he drew after almost conquering the summit of Chimborazo in Ecuador in 1802. It shows a cross section of Chimborazo, arguably the highest mountain in … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Ecuador, History, Technology, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

“The File on H” by Ismail Kadare

When you visit Albania – which I highly recommend – you should not only get a guidebook, but read a few books by Ismail Kadare during your trip. Of the ones I have read so far, I enjoyed The File on H the … Continue reading

Posted in Albania, Books, History, Serbia | Tagged , | 2 Comments

A Walk around Iași

I only spent one day in Iași in the far east of Romania, which is the far east of Europe for most of my readers anyway, when I was on the way back from Moldova, even further east. But fear not, … Continue reading

Posted in Cinema, History, Holocaust, Language, Photography, Religion, Romania, Travel | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

Video of La Paz in 1943

Anyone who has been to La Paz in Bolivia will notice that some things haven’t changed all that much since 1943, for example how food is sold at the market, the fashion and smiles all around. Links: More from Bolivia. … Continue reading

Posted in Bolivia, History, Travel | Tagged | Leave a comment

Persecution of Lawyers in South America

Persecution of lawyers has a long history in South America. From Marie Arana’s biography Bolívar – American Liberator: Bolívar was handed an agitated letter from Páez, reporting the miserable state of affairs in Venezuela. “Your cannot imagine how ruinous the … Continue reading

Posted in Books, History, Human Rights, Law, Venezuela | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments