In his last speech, the chief of the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) gave a clue about how politics are conducted in Romania, acknowledging that politicians look to others to make judgments or make suggestions.
The chairman of the SRI, Eduard Hellvig, made a few remarks at the Babeş-Bolyai University in Cluj-15th Napoca’s anniversary of the Security and Intelligence Studies that caught the attention of the media and public in Romania.
Eduard Hellvig claimed that the separation from politics, which he believes is completely normal in a democratic society, was the most important benefit of his tenure as the chairman of the SRI. He contends that there should be no connection between politics and intelligence collecting since too many politicians in the last decades have grown accustomed to getting cues or advice on what to do.
Too many politicians, in previous decades, have become accustomed to receiving “directions” or “suggestions” about what to do. (…) Too many want others to make decisions for them, too many even expect to receive suggestions from secret services.
Eduard Hellvig, director of Romanian Intelligence Service
Although he did so in an overly courteous manner, the SRI leader highlighted a severe issue in Romanian political society. Politicians in Romania frequently show themselves unable to handle the responsibilities that come with their positions of authority. People in positions of authority in Romania still wait for orders rather than exercising independent judgment.
However, given that the chief of the Romanian Intelligence Service is dissatisfied with the current circumstances, we must consider how frequently the secret service meddled in Romanian politics. Most importantly, has the SRI’s current leader been able to distinguish between political and intelligence collection activities?
No doubt that political parties in Romania pay the press to enhance their reputations. Romanians need to consider who truly makes decisions in this situation rather than the people elected and why these people are in positions of authority.
The new edition of Romanian Jewelry Week comes to delight jewelry enthusiasts with unique creations and new trends in the jewelry world.
Romanian Jewelry Week 2022 will showcase 190 modern jewelry designers, nine group shows, and six cultural venues in Bucharest.
The 5th through the 9th of October will be Romanian Jewelry Week 3.0, featuring hundreds of pieces of modern jewelry from over 190 Romanian and foreign designers, as well as exhibitions, conferences, workshops, and fairs.
Photo source: Romanian Jewelry Week 2022
According to Valahia News, Romanian Jewelry Week allows jewelry lovers to purchase their favourite items at the National Library of Romania’s Jewelry Fair 2022 on the 8th and 9th of October. Moreover, the events gives Romanian designers the chance to exhibit their creations alongside some of the best jewelry designers worldwide.
On October 5th at 3 PM, the National Library of Romania will host the official opening of the main exhibition, which will feature artwork from 190 designers, schools, associations, and collectives from over 30 nations, including Romania, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Spain, Germany, Hungary, France, Great Britain, Italy, Holland, Greece, Austria, Republic of Moldova, Israel, China, Iran, Mongolia, South Korea, and many others.
The exhibition will be completed by nine exhibition shows from other European jewelry weeks, including the Bruxelles Jewelry Week, Budapest Jewelry Week, Milano Jewelry Week, and Legnica Silver Festival. There will also be winners from the Global Design Graduate Show 2021, an international competition held in conjunction with Gucci for recent graduates of art schools worldwide. The metal sculptor Misha Diaconu, who addresses the issue of femininity in a precarious international setting in five of her works on display, and the designer Andrei Berindan have been asked by Romanian Jewelry Week to round off the exhibition.
This year’s theme of Romanian Jewelry Week 2022 at the National Library of Romanis focuses on the war in Ukraine. The video festival emphasizes gender, social norms, environmental degradation, tradition and the future, as well as femininity, feminism, femininity, and femininity.
Romanian Jewelry Week 3.0 takes a tour of contemporary jewelry in 6 cultural locations in Bucharest: the National Library of Romania – the central exhibition, the National History Museum of Romania – Contemporary jewelry workshop with David Sandu and capsule exhibition, the National Museum Cotroceni– Legnica Silver Festival (Poland) and Budapest Jewelry Week, the Galateca Gallery – the exhibition Jewelry design by Ukraine and Inskspective by Ioana Halunga, AlbAlb – Romanian Jewelry Focus, Dizainăr – Jewelry Showcase.
Photo source: Romanian Jewelry Week 2022
The official schedule of the ROMANIAN JEWELRY WEEK 2022
National Library of Romania – Main location of the Romanian Jewelry Week The National Library of Romania will host the Romanian Jewelry Week central exhibition starting October 5, 2022, as well as a special fair section with a sale between the 8th and 9th of October 2022, with over 190 designers and over 1,500 contemporary jewelry exhibits. Visiting schedule – 5th of October between the hours of 3pm – 8pm, 6th-9th of October between the hours of 11am- 8pm
Special events:
5th of October – 6pm – 8pm – Meet and Greet the curator & artists.
5th of October– 6.30pm – 7.15pm – Live conference with Ariel Lavian – Founder of Israel Jewelry Biennale (Mircea Vulcănescu conference room)
6th of October – 6pm – 8pm – Online conference with Charon Kransen (Charon Kransen Art Gallery New York) and Izabella Petruț & Veronika Schwarzinger (Gallery V&V Viena) – Mircea Vulcănescu conference room
7th of October – 6pm – 8pm – Live conference with Les Brucelles (Brussels Jewelry Week organizers) and online forum with Katie Dominy (Arts Thread & Global Design Graduate Show) and Anna Wojcik-Korbas (Legnica Silver Festival)
8th of October – 11am – 8pm – the first day of the Romanian Jewelry Week contemporary jewelry fair. From 6pm – SMCK on Reel projection, the first international video festival inspired by jewelry.
9th of October 11am – 8pm – the second day of the Romanian Jewelry Week contemporary jewelry fair. From 5pm the awarding ceremony will take place, and from 6pm, the second screening of the international video festival SMCK on Reel.
Entry tickets for the contemporary jewelry fair on October 8th and 9th are available on the Iabilet.ro network – https://www.iabilet.ro/bilete-romanian-jewelry-week-2022-78170/
The National History Museum of Romania The National History Museum of Romania organizes, in collaboration with Assamblage a series of unique activities during Romanian Jewelry Week – a capsule exhibition of contemporary jewelry Corina Cubici and Ana Fanigina, a demonstration workshop on polishing and faceting semi-precious stones and a guided tour of the permanent collection of the Historical Treasury. Visiting hours: 5 – 9 October, 10am – 6pm
Special event: October 7, from 3pm. – Demonstration workshop of polishing and semi-precious faceting stones held by David Sandu, founder of Assamblage The Institute of Art and Design. Capsule exhibition Corina Cubici and Anna Fanigina. Historical Treasury guided tour.
Access is based on the prior purchase of the general museum access ticket available online here- https://mnir.booktes.com
National Museum Cotroceni The Cotroceni National Museum is organizing, in collaboration with Romanian Jewelry Week, a unique selection of two landmark events on the European map of contemporary jewelry – Legnica Silver Festival (Poland) and Budapest Jewelry Week.
Visiting hours – 5 – 9 October – 9am – 5pm. Access is based on the visiting rules –https://www.muzeulcotroceni.ro/viziteaza/vizitare.html
Galateca Gallery Between the 5th and 8th of October, Galateca Gallery will host, within Romanian Jewelry Week, a curatorial selection of contemporary Ukrainian jewelry designers, and starting October 7, the Inskspective exhibition by Ioana Halunga.
Visiting hours: 5 – 7 October – 12pm – 8pm, October 8- 11am – 7pm
Special programme: October 7, at 7pm – the opening of the Inskspective exhibition by Ioana Halunga.
AlbAlb – Romanian Jewelry Focus AlbAlb was born from the passion for art and design and the desire to bring the creations of Romanian designers and artists closer to the public, which appreciates beauty and creativity. As part of Romanian Jewelry Week 2022, AlbAlb proposes four special events dedicated to Romanian jewelry design. – Str. Lt. Av. Șerban Petrescu nr. 1, București
6 October – 11am – 6pm | A bigger splash – launch of the latest Monom collection.
7 October – 11am – 6pm | Always remarkable -the launch of a new porcelain earrings collection by Diana Cojocaru
8 October – 11am – 6pm | Flora in porcelain – new porcelain sculptural jewelry pieces by Daniela Cățoi
9 October 11am – 6pm | A pearly situation – launching of the new pearl jewelry collection by Atelier Devi
Str. Lt. Av. Șerban Petrescu nr. 1, București
Dizainăr – Jewelry Showcase At Dizainăr showroom and on dizainar.com you will discover more than 600 special objects for home and soul, from furniture, lighting fixtures, kitchen items, watches, and graphics, to personal accessories, decorations, toys and jewelry, created by Romanians designers and produced locally in small series. The jewelry, made in various styles and techniques, is designed by: Maria Paltin, monom, i{n}stance jewellery, Catrinel Săbăciag, Ceramic Sparrow, Karakter Studio, tactil util, Ana Mihanta, Alina Ceramics.
Visiting hours – 6 – 8 of October 2022, between 12pm and 7pm @ Dizainăr showroom, Str. Puțul cu Plopi nr.17, zona Cișmigiu
Kraft Market On 5 October, 8PM – 10PM – Opening Party of Romanian Jewelry Week. Matei Milo nr. 8/10 Street, Bucharest. A newly opened place in the heart of Bucharest, with a special focus on design and local talents and a space where craft meets the community.
Acuarela Bistro On 9 October 8.30pm – 10.30am – Closing Party of Romanian Jewelry Week. Str. Polonă nr 40. small bistro for the Bucharest artist community, a creative hub and a warm host of cultural events.
About Romanian Jewelry Week 2022
Photo source: Romanian Jewelry Week 2022
Romanian Jewelry Week 2022 is organized by Assamblage – the National Association of Authors and Designers of Contemporary Jewelry, with the support of the National Library of Romania and supported by EUROINS and Banca Transilvania.
Kaustik signs the exhibition design.
Cultural partners – National History Museum of Romania, Cotroceni National Museum, AlbAlb, Dizainăr, Galateca, Acuarela, Imbold Arts, The Station, SMCK on Reel, Kulterra, Kraft Market.
Media partners – Radio Guerilla, Elle, Aici a Stat, Cover Stories, Curatorialist, Designist.ro, Dreamingof.net, Feeder.ro, Festivalier, Igloo, IQAds, Lost in Jewelry Magazine, Femeia, Modernism.ro, Revista Atelierul, The Institutes, Zeppelin, Days and Nights.
The most recent article in the New York Times publication shows that the secular forest from Romania is sacrificed to make pellets, then exported to many European countries.
New York Times journalists conducted an investigation into Europe’s oldest forests, in Romania, in Cheile Bicazului northeastern region.
The American journal demonstrates how erroneous it is to refer to burned wood as „green energy” by using the headline „Europe is abandoning its centuries-old forests for energy.” The American newspaper claims evidence from the Romanian company Ameco, from the region of Harghita, proving that it feeds its grinders from Romania’s protected forests.
The forests of Romania, which make up two-thirds of the EU’s virgin forests, were hiked through over four days by a reporter and a photographer. Clearcutting was being done there, and they followed trucks coming from sensitively reclaimed forest areas.
Photo Source: New York Times
Environmental Investigation Agency figures show that most of Romania’s largest pellet projects have been supplied with intact logs from protected forests. They estimated that these businesses received nearly a third of their wood needs from protected areas.
Once you cut down these old trees, you degrade ecosystems that took centuries to form with little human intervention.
Dan-Catalin Turiga, a forest engineer who accompanied Times reporters
Logging is allowed in the protected forests of Europe, but governments must do environmental assessments to ensure the land is being preserved. These analyses, according to experts, are not common. The European Court of Auditors warned about these ostensibly protected forests last year after discovering that many were in „bad or inadequate conservation quality.”
The NY Times also describes the export routes for pellets from Romania, Poland, and Slovakia to various EU countries, including Italy, where burning wood is thought to have little impact on global warming because trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release it back into it.
Moreover, Romania’s environmental ministry did not respond to the NY Times journalist’s questions about these shipments, the proposed law change and the pellet industry in general.
The problem of deforestation in Romania is catastrophic, and no measure from the Romanian authorities seems to have been applied or to have had an impact. Romania will remain without forests and an ecosystem, which will happen quickly if it is not acted upon. Journalists from the New York Times are not the only ones who tried to expose the forest mafia in Romania, and the saddest part is that illegal deforestation has been going on for years. With the energy crisis, people will ask for another option besides gas, and most likely, they will opt for heating with wood. How many will illegal wood exports leave Romania then?
Revolut has added Elrond’s EGLD token, which powers the internet-scale blockchain network that supports Web3 payments, DeFi, and the new Metaverse economy, to its list of supported cryptocurrencies, making it possible to trade it on the well-known fintech app.
Elrond, which had its primary launch in July 2020, has since surpassed Ethereum 2.0 to become the second-largest PoS blockchain in the world, with 3200 validators dispersed throughout several regions. It is also the first carbon-negative blockchain in Europe because it offsets more CO2 than is necessary for its cutting-edge PoS network.
According to Valahia News, in addition to providing a new generation of digital natives with a token that is utilized to power the seamless transfer of any sort of value globally, Revolut’s listing of EGLD will bring a broader audience to the frictionless payments at the center of Elrond’s concept.
By enabling its users in the EU and UK to buy, hold, and sell cryptocurrencies with the same simplicity as any other digital asset. For EGLD, the mobile banking business, valued at $33 billion with +20M worldwide customers, intends to improve financial inclusion.
Revolut operates in more than 30 countries (including the European Economic Area, the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and others) and has plans to expand into new markets thanks to its ongoing regulatory and compliance efforts. It has an EU banking license and a CASP license that was just granted for crypto-related services.
In its current network configuration, Elrond can process 15,000 transactions per second, but it can scale beyond 100,000 TPS by utilizing sharding to parallelize transaction processing, allowing it to accommodate growing demand by adding more shards to the network. Elrond was built from the ground up to address the performance limitations of the current blockchain iterations (such as Bitcoin and Ethereum).
About Elrond
Elrond is a brand-new blockchain architecture created from the ground up to boost throughput and execution speed by 1,000. A revolutionary Adaptive State Sharding mechanism and a Secure Proof of Stake (PoS) algorithm, which together enable linear scaling with a quick, effective, and secure consensus mechanism, are introduced by Elrond as two essential inventions that help to accomplish this. So, Elrond, which aims to support a permissionless, accessible internet economy, can handle up to 15,000 transactions per second (TPS), with a 6-second latency and minimal cost.
Elrond introduced Maiar, the e-wallet of the future, in January 2021. The Romanian blockchain business Elrond works to build a community of dependability, trust, and transaction speed despite encountering some difficulties along the road.
The first Romanian single malt whisky, launched internationally, will be sold on the Romanian market this fall.
Mr. Nawaf Salameh, the creator and president of the Alexandrion Group, oversaw the production of Carpathian Single Malt Whiskey, which employs only malted barley from Romania and pure water from the Subcarpathian hills. Carpathian Single Malt contains a 46% alcohol level and is made without cold filtration. Its unique barrel maturation gives it a natural colour.
We have been distilling and aging single malt whiskey since 2017, still honing casks from all over Europe and the US. This is the first chance single malt enthusiasts will have to enjoy a whiskey from the Carpathians.
Nawaf Salameh, founding chairman of Alexandrion Group
According to Valahia News, the first Romanian single malt whiskey was also matured in Romanian wine barrels. Thus, Alexandrion Group joins a select group of manufacturers who age single malt whiskey in wine barrels from their cellars.
Despite Romania having a 2,000-year history of wine production, the use of Romanian wine casks is a „global first” in the manufacturing of single malt. Customers in Romania will be able to purchase Carpathian Single Malt in September through upscale retailers.
The City Hall of Bucharest supports the Association for the Promotion and Development of Tourism in its efforts to promote tourism initiatives in the city.
Nicusor Dan, the general mayor of the city, declared that the Tourism Promotion and Development Association in Bucharest is officially operational. The Association will receive the necessary funding this year to launch its operations and carry out its goals to promote tourism in the nation’s Capital.
Promotional opportunities for tourism in the Capital are considerable. Foreign visitors have a strong interest in visiting the city, according to a study by Visit Bucharest titled „Most Frequent Online Searches of Foreign Tourists in Bucharest.” Any activity promoting tourism will require funding, and the Capital currently has a functioning tourism promotion and development association.
The first stage for which we have already started the steps is the realization of a tourism strategy that will highlight Bucharest, as it happens in any European capital. In this sense, we will request advice from experienced economic operators. Only through strategic planning can we attract tourists to visit the Capital, and we can implement impactful projects in this area. The association includes, along with the Municipality of Bucharest, representative institutions, organizations and federations.
Nicusor Dan, Bucharest’s general mayor
Bucharest is a vibrant, energetic city deserving of its place as a global tourism icon. The Open Streets and Fountain Show projects are among the many initiatives of Capital City Hall that draw visitors from abroad to the Romanian Capital.
The Bucharest Jazz Music Festival returns from September 16 to 18 to entertain every jazz lover in Romania’s Capital with brand new performances and live sessions.
The Combinatul Fondului Plastic, a location for events in the field of art and design, hosts the Bucharest Jazz Festival 2022. The Institute, the Union of Plastic Artists from Romania, and the Plastic Fund Combine support the ninth edition, organized by the Capital City Hall with assistance from the Culture, Education, and Tourism Directorate of the Municipality of Bucharest and ARCUB.
According to Visit Bucharest, the theme of this year’s edition is Romanian jazz. It is organized by musicologist and journalist Florian Lungu, a well-known figure in the local jazz scene who has recorded, lived through, and seen many of the events that have shaped the history of autochthonous jazz.
Three themed evenings comprise the festival schedule. The festival’s first day is devoted to jazz musicians from the younger generation, who perform four performances with the title „Young Blood Jazz Musicians.” The „Jazz Diaspora” event features performances by jazz musicians from Romania. The festival’s final day, „Jazz Virtuoso,” features performers from Combinat on a stage devoted to regional jazz. ZMEI3, Sorin Zlat, Ion Tuntu Baciu Jr., Trigon, Eva Maria Garlea & Robert Cozma, and the collaboration between Luiza Zan and the Radio Big Band led by Ionel Tudor are among the artists on the edition’s schedule.
The entry is free for every jazz lover, so if you have some free time to spare on quality music, you should participate to enjoy one of Romania’s most anticipated jazz music festivals.
At the European Swimming Championship in Rome, David Popovici won the gold medal in the 200 m freestyle while breaking the junior world record. The 17-year-old phenomenon showed that he could accomplish anything on August 15. He is currently the third-fastest swimmer in history in the 200-meter distance, after Paul Biedermann of Germany (1:42.00) and Michael Phelps of the United States (1:42.96).
David Popovici set a new world record at the European Swimming Championship in Rome (1:42.97). Nearly two seconds after the Romanian, Antonio Djakovic of Switzerland finished in second place (1:45.60), while Felix Auboeck of Austria was on the third step of the podium (1:45.89).
According to Valahia News, Popovici broke the 100 m Freestyle Men world record (46:86). The event occurred the day before the Rome 2022 European Aquatics Championship.
David Popovici has also won two world championships this year in Budapest in addition to nine medals (seven gold) at the junior EC in 2021 and 2022, a continental gold in 2021, and a gold in the short course (100m freestyle and 200m freestyle).
Currently, he withdrew from the European Swimming Championships 400 meters freestyle final due to his busy schedule for the upcoming competitions. David Popovici, who has become a worldwide sensation in the swimming performance chapter, is one of the most admired athletes right now. The physical effort put out after the prior competition speaks for itself, even though many would have liked to see him compete in the 400-meter final.
The former WTA No. 1 Simona Halep triumphs at the National Bank Open in Toronto, Canada. She defeated Brazilian Haddad Maia 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 in front of a boisterous audience, primarily Romanian, who supported their favourite throughout the entire match.
Photo source: Simona Halep Facebook
Simona feels at home whether she performs in Canada or any other nation with a sizable ex-pat Romanian population. Even before the outcome, she acknowledged this:
It felt like Romania today. I felt like everyone was supporting me. They sent me a lot of energy. In the tough moments they really pushed me.
Simona Halep
Simona Halep appeared to have rediscovered her previous endurance as she outplayed the opposition. Although she made unintentional mistakes during the game, the audience was enthralled by her performance.
Simona defeated American Jessica Pegula 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to go to the championship round. On the other side, the Brazilian won the match against Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 7-6 to go to the final (9).
Simona reentered the WTA Top 10 after the championship. Halep officially moves up to WTA position six on Monday, August 15. Since she switched to Patrick Mouratouglou from the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, who had previously coached Serena Williams, this is quite a performance.
Holztock Festival returns with a social cause as its primary objective. This time, the festival’s goal is to generate money for renovations to the fortified church in Hosman, Sibiu County.
The Holzstock Festival will hold its eighth iteration in a spectacular setting this August. The Hosman Fortified Church is where the event is, and the organizers hope to generate money to renovate it this year.
Holzstock isn’t just a festival, it is also our way to give something back to the community that welcomes us with open arms.
Holzstock Festival organizers
The organizers claim that the money raised from ticket sales the previous year was utilized to repair half of the roof of the parish house of the fortified church. In 2022, the Holzstock Festival intends to continue its restoration work.
This festival has a unique setting thanks to the proximity of the church citadel in Hosman and the breathtaking view of the Fagaras Mountains. The two days of the festival are filled with music, work/creative workshops, sporting activities, watching movies, debates, songs around the campfire, and the chance to go on short hikes throughout the Hosman village region.
What is interesting about this festival is that by purchasing a ticket, you can support a Romanian rehabilitation project while also taking in a music festival in a breathtaking setting.
Along with the music, those who enjoy it can attend numerous lectures or go on treks through Hosman town. Visitors can stay in a van or a tent and take in the Holzstock ambiance.
Holzstock Festival Agenda: The festival has many other surprises for its visitors and promises unforgettable memories of an actual summer festival in Transylvania.
Friday, August 12
Argatu’ and Santa Martin Baska Wildchild Fitton Saturday, August 13
The Mono Jacks Orchid Gunshee Coven Clash
Holzstock Festival Tickets: The season ticket costs about EUR 40, the ticket for a single day is about EUR 20, and you can purchase them from the Entertix website.
All of this is for a unique festival in the country that is involved in developing the area, beautifying a sacred space in Romania and promoting it internationally. If you are a non-conformist and like to experience new things, try the Holzstock experience, you will love it for its creative spirit and a great vibe.
