An important person will be coming to see me in Romania in a few months. While this guest will spend most of their time in Braşov (where we have an excellent hotel), there will be cause for them to stay in Bucureşti briefly.

I’d like to get some recommendations from my savvy readers in the capital city. I’m interested in some place hip. Something better than the westerner-friendly Bucharest Marriot, yet with more reasonable prices and maybe a little flair.

El Greco is somewhat okay, but slightly underposh for the high rates in my opinion. I really like the boutique Hotel Moxa, for example. Where can you get similar quality for a lower price? Can you get better quality for the same price? What else is something worth considering for the sophisticated traveller?

Monsoux? Gorgeoux? Stingo? Someone else? Help a Romerican out.

Update: September 28

Unless there’s a surprise darkhorse lurking within the next comment, then I, for one, think the decision is easy. With superb quality and styling, yet at least half the price of comparable rooms in Bucharest, Hotel Rembrandt wins hands down. Bonus points for M&M; mulţumesc mult.

Now, I was absolutely blown away by this. In fact, I still have few words to describe it and would rather you just experienced it for yourself.

1. Go read your other websites, do your chores and run your errands.
2. Come back later when you’ve got some free time.
3. Get yourself something to drink.
4. Find a comfortable chair.
5. Turn up your speakers.

I’ve edited this video from it’s original length down to approximately 30 minutes long and you’ll want to watch it from start to finish.

Keep in mind that sharing this video eats up a lot of bandwidth for me. If you don’t have 30 minutes right now to watch, then come back another time. Please play nice so I won’t have to remove it from the site.

(more…)

History is often hilarious and heretical.

Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 01:59:14 -1000 (HST)
Subject: DEAR BELOVED BROTHER AND SISTER
From: “UBULU UZEMBE”
Reply-To: great_ubuluzembe@yahoo.ie
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Dear Beloved,

As you read this, I don’t want you to feel sorry for me, because, I believe everyone will die someday.

My name is Ubulu Uzembe, a merchant in Dubai, in the U.A.E.I have been diagnosed with Esophageal cancer which was discovered very late, due to my laxity in caring for my health. It has defiled all forms of medicine, and right now I have only about a few months to live, according to medical experts.

I have not particularly lived my life so well, as I never really cared for anyone not even myself but my business. Though I am very rich, I was never generous, I was always hostile to people and only focus on my business as that was the only thing I cared for. But now I regret all this as I now know that there is more to life than just wanting to have or make all the money in the world.

I believe when God gives me a second chance to come to this world I would live my life a different way from how I have lived it. Now that God ! has called me, I have willed and given most of my properties and assets to my immediate and extended family members and as well as a few close friends.

I want God to be merciful to me and accept my soul and so, I have decided to give alms to charity organizations, as I want this to be one of the last good deeds I do on earth. So far, I have distributed money to some charity organizations in the U.A.E,Algeria and Malaysia. Now that my health has deteriorated so badly, I cannot do this my self any more. I once asked members of my family to close one of my accounts and distribute the money which I have there to charity organization in Bulgaria and Pakistan, they refused and kept the money to themselves. Hence, I do not trust them anymore, as they seem not to be contended with what I have left for them.

The last of my money which no one knows of is the huge cash deposit of twenty four million dollars($24,000,000) that I have with a security company in Europe.

I will want you to help me collect this deposit and dispatched it to charity organizations.

I have set aside 20% for you for your time and patience.If you are willing to help me fill in the space below:
with the following:

1.YOUR FULL NAMES
2.YOUR PHONE NUMBER
3.YOUR FULL RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS.

Please reply me on this email address : great_ubuluzembe@yahoo.ie

I am currently admitted in ASHFORD HOSPITAL London.

God be with you.

Ubulu Uzembe

My brother in peace Mr. Uzembe,

What a tragedy has befallen your kind and gentile soul that even now I find it difficult to chalk back the tears originating out of empathy with your plight. You see, my late Aunt Luca passed away only last year after being diagnosed with both Aesopshairgel cancer and spontaneous protandry. It is my faith and hope that you will no longer consume harmful laxatives when the medical sexperts are defiling your heart.

It must be awful to be burned with such a deep, impacting guilt arising from your acknowledged lack of intimacy with your fellow man, let alone playing with yourself. Although, it is true most people would be very jealous about the immense wealth you have accumulated. Clearly, if I were as rich as you, I would be tempted by the Dark Horned One to be equally ungenerous and hostile to others. So I am relieved to learn you are no longer interested in possessing money as the Holy Spirit must be working miracles through you.

I also believe that when God will give you a second chance to reincarnate, you will live your life quite differently in a burning lake of sulphur fire. It is probably a good idea for you to heed the calling of the Lord, rather than put Him into voice mail. As you began to disperse your holdings to family and friends, you must have known you would end up needing my help.

I, too, want God the Merciful and Munificent Ruler of the Universe to take the time out of his hectic schedule to unburden you from monetary evils. I have been associated with a charitable organization which could have delivered to you the salvation you desire in exchange for bequeathing your worldly possessions into my custodianship. However, I can see that Allah has directed you to fund the true believers of Islam. It saddens me that your noble act occurs at such a time of benevolence. Clearly your family has been co-opted by Coptic Satanists if they refuse to abide by your wishes to help the Chitral monks in Pakistan on their border-crossing missions or fund urgently-needed sheep cheese cultivation in Bulgaria so the world can share in its’ demigodlike deliciousness.

Since you are sadistically forced into a position where you cannot trust your greedy and contemptuous family, perhaps you will consider working with me. It is my duty to Baal to seek out custody of your funds, so that I might serve as a catalyst to my self-aggrandizement.

I am glad to be entrusted by you, my brother, with the secret stash of millions in cash. You should feel comfortable in allowing me the distinct honor of aiding you in your valiant quest to distribute vast sums of money held in your European security account. And, to make matters easier, the bags of currency will not have to be transported across the Atlantic as I am already near your collection of bills (so close, I can feel the gold pulse throbbing within me to a hedonistic fury I can barely contain).

Please send me your deposit of US$24M to my bank account immediately to protect it from thieves!

1. BULA GLUMESCU
2. +40 268 / 426591
3. STR. OBICEI STRAMOŞESC NR 13; JEFUITOR, ROMANIA 1337

Please contact me regarding the wire transfer immediately, so I may assist you.

Rather than Ashford Hospital, I hope you are soon admitted into the afterlife.

Yahweh be with you! And your money be with me.

Professor Reverend Bula Glumescu

It’s 2006; fifty years after Hungary’s anti-communist freedom fighters sought to throw off the yoke of oppression in 1956 by taking to the streets. Amazingly, the current day Hungarians have continued to elect those same (now, former) communists to hold high office. Those who fail to learn from history…

In a stunning media leak, the entire nation of Hungary got to hear a recorded conversation which Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány (the equivalent Adrian Nastase as former-communist leader of the current Socialist Party) had with his corrupt socialist buddies wherein they discussed the various details of how they’ve lied repeatedly during past elections in order to win office.

Now, many Hungarians have previously asserted this was true, but only in the context of the underhand softball of political rhetoric. What this leaked confession represents is incontrovertible evidence to every Hungarian who might have thought the government was legitimate. Like the Romanian PSD, they engage in utter hogwash and smokescreen as part of their whatever-works approach to retaining power over the people.

“We lied in the morning. We lied in the evening,” he said. “Hungarians want to live like those in the west, but they are unwilling to adopt the western norms.”

“We made people believe that they have nothing to do, that we will give them happiness as a gift.”

Hungary is running the EU’s highest budget deficit and on September 1 submitted a tough austerity package aimed at bringing Budpaest in line with Brussels fiscal rules that underpin the euro.

What’s curious is when one applies a scholarly analysis to the contents of the tape, one might notice there are actually several positive aspects to the leak in that the Socialists really trot out the pomp and circumstance… beating the drums of confidence, strength, and true reform. A hail mary. It is possible to theorize this leak was intentionally acted out to influence the populace into rallying around the reinvigorated and newly-honest power brokers in the hallowed halls. Could it be true?

It’s an interesting idea. And one which analysts of Hungarian politics believe may very well have been exactly that: propoganda, directly from Page 1 of the classic communist playbook, designed to reinforce The Great Leader. Only it appears to have backfired.

My gut reaction is to think that the PM was probably having an honest conversation with his drones. He probably did beat them over the head with a speech about how their past lies and cheating have put them in a position where they really need to dig in and work hard to keep Hungary from economic collapse. A sort of inspirational lockeroom berating by a panicky coach during a hopeless halftime.

There is not much choice. There is not, because we have screwed up. Not a little but a lot. No country in Europe has screwed up as much as we have. It can be explained. We have obviously lied throughout the past 18 to 24 months. It was perfectly clear that what we were saying was not true.

We are beyond the country’s possibilities to such an extent that we could not conceive earlier that a joint government of the Socialists and the liberals would ever do. And in the meantime we did not actually do anything for four years. Nothing.

You cannot mention any significant government measures that we can be proud of, apart from the fact that in the end we managed to get governance out of the shit. Nothing. If we have to give an account to the country of what we have done in four years, what are we going to say?

I suspect it was probably a ‘real’ speech given to his lieutenants during a moment of supposed privacy. But someone leaked it, for the expressed purpose of deposing Gyurcsány. Not for any benevolent purpose. Just a raw backstab.

Who stands to gain? If the current Prime Minister were to resign, then the other ex-commies of the Socialist Party can slap all negativity on his scapegoated caricature while they themselves climb a little higher up the rungs. Afterall, someone’s gotta take the fall for the political party’s past psychopathy.

Hungarians are righteously pissed off. Last night, thousands took to the streets and exercised their collective muscle in a riot. Smashing buildings, lighting cars on fire. The people took over the state television station (akin to TVR) and then set it on fire, as a protest to eradicate the official apparatus of socialist lies. Police decked out in riot gear firing off tear gas grenades and blasting citizens with water cannons called for thousands of reinforcements and stormed the station to retake control. Classic stuff.

Sure, we can pause to all agree that riots are horrific means of demonstration, but I wouldn’t be alone in saying there are times when riots are a completely legitimate form of civil protest. Look back on history, most nations have “great events” involving riots. Even detractors must note that a riot does not quite reach the level of armed insurrection.

Hungarian law enforcement was obligated, of course, to protect the non-communist communists currently in power and lead a crackdown against the people. Apparently, 200 persons were injured as a result of clashes with police during the political protests calling for the immediate resignation of the lying prime minister. The Justice Minister has offered his resignation, but his cronies have — so far — asked him to stay.

Will there be a repeat? Will the Hungarian people come out again tonight to offer serious challenge to their government in one of the few forms left when faced with egregiously tyrannical overlords? You can bet the former-communists are better prepared for such an event. No doubt there will be a palpable tension amongst riot police as evening sets in.

Meanwhile, today, the anti-government protests continue as several hundred people are once again gathering in the capital this afternoon in what is currently a very peaceful, flag-waving vigil where participants want to see the former-communist socialist leaders step down from their positions in light of their admitted lies. Only a corrupt, powerhungry oligarchy would admit to a repeated pattern of sociopathic behavior and then insist on remaining in office despite the lies.

It’s dishonorable.

Not that honor means anything to a non-communist communist.

Stayed tuned for the next episode when scared politicans in Hungary stumble over one another in a rush to sacrifice a patsy or two in order to quelch the burning embers of most citizens, thus supplanting support for any further action and keeping their mafia squarely in control. Cha-ching. Yeehaw.

UPDATE: Sep 24

The violence of riots quieted down after a couple of night.  Happily, the peaceful protests continue with crowds estimated well over 10,000 each night.  Speculation, by some, is that the protests may reach as high as 20,000 people Saturday (tonight).  I’m glad to see the pressure continue on Gyurcsany.  In a symbolic gesture, he has suddenly decided to move his former-communist Socialist Party headquarters out of its historic location in a particular building that’s housed the communist party for decades… and into a new location to help create an air of change.  However, the people seem to still want him to own up to his years of dishonorable lies and years of failed leadership by resigning.  The buck stops here, Feri.