We’re getting closer and closer to that dreaded 2012 Mayan Apocalypse and I see the world is not happy with fearing just that. Every day we hear about devastating storms, earthquakes (and subsequent tsunamis, as the Japanese tragedy still holds the headlines), various religious figures with more or less global authority and recognition terrify us with bleak promises, and so on. Why wouldn’t we be afraid?
Just yesterday I was watching (another) documentary about global warming and the disastrous results of glaciary meltdown. They all say we’re the main causes, we and our vibrant civilization. So they say… I just need to ask them one question? How bloody arrogant can humans be to think we’re the ones pulling the strings on our planet (not even to mention the whole universe!)? Yes, we may have put the process on “fast-forward”, but we’re not gods to click our fingers and *puff* global floods. I was reading about a new theory (which was proven right by further research) that the Black Sea began as a sweet-water lake and then, due to the ocean water-level rising, it was flooded with seawater, which produced a cataclysm of biblical proportions (some even move the location of Noah’s flood here)… So…
Every time the years change, especially when we come around a round digit (like 2000, for example – and I am sure everybody remembers the psychosis of the Millennium bug or however you want to call it), we fear the world’s going to end. Well, it did not end in 0, it did not end in 1000, and it definetely didn’t end in 2000. Then, some would ask, why would it be different for 2012?
Could the Mayans foresee the end of civilization? Well, possibly, they could. Fifty percent. The other fifty is for the impossibility. We don’t need no fancy equations to tell us things may or may not be true, as we don’t need elaborate statistics to prove that in 90% of the cases of one issue or another something happens. If the less likely thing happens to you, then, it’s 100%… Or 10, however you want to call it. It’s obvious that we’re not the only civilization with advanced astronomical knowledge. There were some others who could see far beyond the „Mysterious Beyond” and may or may not have calculated that the world would end (?) on one date or another.
Now, what does the end of the world actually mean? Is it Armageddon, the Apocalypse, a global catastrophe that will wipe out all life on Earth? And why would it only imply the Earth? The farther we advance beyond our predecessor’s horizons, the world (our planet? our solar system? our galaxy? the whole Universe?) becomes bigger and bigger by the minute and it doesn’t show any signs of proximity to the boundaries. We are being bombarded with theories, some self-proclaimed fantasies, even dilettantish junk that are pure Science Fiction (and not even the believable SF stuff!) but with the claim of rigorous scientific research. Out of the bulk, the real non-Hollywood theories seem bland or too difficult to understand for the common mind.
Nevertheless, the basics of every astronomical claim, be it religious or scientific, is that we’re all part of an enormous thing called the Universe that is true to itself and the pieces are being held apart by some sort of energy (God with all His names and shapes), some would call it a Superior Infinite Conscience. In any case, I’m not saying that we’re meaningless or powerless in the face of enormity, but that we are all small pieces of something (whatever it is) and our power is in ourselves, in each one of us and, ultimately, in all of us. Think of our bodies and the way they are built, think of sand storms, think of ants, think of water… The world is perfectly built and it’s got its innate rules and forms, we can’t change it or force ourselves upon it, it will only strike back with great force.
Coming back to the Apocalypse. It seems we’ve still got a Medieval imagination: everything has to blow up, to be completely destroyed with great fire-works and cutting-edge special effects. No doubt such cataclysms do happen, but still… Have you ever thought that The End of the World as we know it has already occurred? In fact, I think it happens every day, every second, or at least when something major (9/11?) happens, and, by Jove, there are a lot of crucial events in one’s life, not even talking about whole societies!
Maybe the end of the world has come, maybe it will come. Maybe we won’t even notice it. What the Mayans saw was maybe a more subtle (and, Lord, can we handle subtleties!) change: within ourselves, in the way we perceive things, in our priorities. It could be a religious crisis, maybe an economic crisis (!), it could be a war, a death, a birth or Virgin Mary appearing in the sky. Whatever happens, expensive special effects may or may not be necessary.
That’s what we have to learn: cut the speculations, do something for yourself and for the world. Because if the world’s end does come, how can you help preserve the memory of your life and culture? By talking about it? By writing long and complicated books speculating about what’s going to be? No! Do something for yourself, get out in the world and make the world a better place, whatever that means. As Ophelia might say, Cut the crap Hamlet, my biological clock is ticking, the Universe is also sending us a message. Maybe the Mayans realised that and thought they should forward the mail to us. Can we read it? Can we learn that lesson? Or will we become a myth, like Atlantis?
小朋友 你是否有很多問號 為什麼
Xiao peng you, ni shi fou you hen duo wen hao, wei shen me
Little children, do you have a lot of questions, why
別人在那看漫畫 我卻在學畫畫 對著鋼琴說話
Bie ren zai na kan man hua, wo que zai xue hua hua, dui zhe gang qin shuo hua
When other kids are reading manga, I am learning to draw and learning to communicate with the piano
別人在玩遊戲 我卻靠在牆壁背我的ABC
Bie ren zai wan you xi, wo que kao zai qiang bi bei wo de ABC
When other kids are playing games, I am leaning on the wall memorizing my ABCs
我說我要一台大大的飛機 我卻得到一台舊舊錄音機
Wo shuo wo yao yi tai da da de fei ji, wo jue de dao yi tai jiu jiu lu yin ji
I said that I wanted a large airplane, but I got an old recorder
為什麼 要聽媽媽的話 長大後你就會開始懂得這種話
Wei shen me, yao ting ma ma de hua, zhang da hou ni jiu hui kai shi dong de zhe zhong hua
Why should I listen to mother’s words? When you grow up you will understand what I am saying
長大後我開始明白 為什麼我跑的比別人快 飛的比別人高
Zhang da hou wo kai shi ming bai, wei shen me wo pao de bi bie ren kuai, fei de bi bie ren gao
After I got older I started to realize why I run faster than others and fly further than other people
將來大家看的都是我畫的漫畫 大家唱的都是 我寫的歌
Jiang lai da jia kan de dou shi wo hua de man hua, da jia chang de dou shi wo xie de ge
In the future, people will be reading my mangas and all the songs they sing will be written by me
媽媽的辛苦 不讓你看見 溫暖的食譜在她心裡面
Ma ma de xin ku bu rang ni kan jian, wen nuan de shi pu zai ta xin li mian
Mother’s hard work isn’t seen by others. She knows the warm recipe by heart
有空就多多握握她的手 把手牽著一起夢遊
You kong jiu duo duo wo wo ta de shou, ba shou qian zhe yi qi meng you
When you have time, hold her hand and sleep dream together
聽媽媽的話 別讓她受傷 想快快長大 才能保護她
Ting ma ma de hua, bie rang ta shou shang, xiang kuai kuai zhang da cai neng bao hu ta
Listen to mother’s words, don’t let her get hurt. You want to grow up quickly so you can take care of her
美麗的白髮 幸福中發芽 天使的魔法 溫暖中慈祥
Mei li de bai fa, xing fu zhong fa ya tian shi de mo fa, wen nuan zhong ci xiang
Beautiful white hair, growing inside happiness. Angel’s magic benevolence within (her) gentleness
在你的未來 音樂是你的王牌 拿王牌談個戀愛
Zai ni de wei lai, yin yue shi ni de wang pai na wang pai tan ge lian ai
In your future, music is your key to success, use it to get into a relationship
唉 我不想把你教壞 還是聽媽媽的話吧 晚點在戀愛吧
Ai wo bu xiang ba ni jiao huai hai shi ting ma ma de hua ba, wan dian zai lian ai ba
Sigh, I don’t want to teach you to be a bad kid. Why don’t you listen to what your mother says and get in a relationship later
我知道你未來的路 當媽比我更清楚
Wo zhi dao ni wei lai de lu, dang ma bi wo geng qing chu
I know your future path, but your mother knows it even better
你會開始學其他同學在書包寫東寫西
Ni hui kai shi xue qi ta tong xue zai shu bao xie dong xie xi
You will start imitating friends and write things on your backpack
但我建議你最好寫 媽媽我會用功讀書
Dan shi wo jian yi ni zui hao xie, ma ma wo hui yong gong du shu
But I suggest you better write: Mom I will put in my best effort to learn
用功讀書 怎麼會從我嘴巴說出
Yong gong du shu, zhe me hui cong wo zui ba shuo chu
I will study hard, how does that come from my mouth?
不想你輸所以要教你 用功讀書
Bu xiang ni shu suo yi yao jiao ni, yong gong du shu
I need to teach you because I don’t want you to lose. Study hard
媽媽織給你的毛衣 你要好好收著
Ma ma zhi gei ni de mao yi, ni yao hao hao shou zhe
The sweater mother gave you, you have to keep it safe
因為母親節到時我要告訴她 我還留著
Ying wei mu qin jie dao shi wo hui gao shu ta, wo hai liu zhe
Because on Mother’s Day, I want to tell her, I still have it
對了 我會遇到了周潤發
Dui le, wo hui yu dao le zou ren fa
Oh yea, I will meet Zhou Run Fa*
*Zhou Run Fa is a famous actor (Yes…He is Chow Yun Fat)
所以你可以跟同學炫耀 賭神未來是你爸爸
suo yi ni ke yi geng tong xue xuan yao du shen wei lai shi ni ba ba
So you can show off to your friends, “The God of Gambling will be your father”
我找不到童年寫的情書 你寫完不要送人
Wo zhao bu dao tong nian xie de qing shu, ni xie wan bu yao song ren
I can’t find the childhood love letter. Don’t give it away after you write it
因為過兩天你會在操場上撿到
yin wei guo liang tian ni hui zai cao chang shang jian dao
Because you will find it on the playground two days later
你會開始喜歡上流行歌 因為張學友開始準備唱吻別
Ni hui kai shi xi huan shang liu xing ge yin wei zhang xue you kai shi zhun bei chang wen bie
You will start to like pop music because Jacky Cheung is about to sing Kiss Goodbye*
*(Kiss Goodbye is a famous song that was a hit in the 90s)
聽媽媽的話 別讓她受傷 想快快長大 才能保護她
Ting ma ma de hua, bie rang ta shou shang, xiang kuai kuai zhang da cai neng bao hu ta
Listen to mother’s words, don’t let her get hurt. You want to grow up quickly so you can take care of her and protect her
Ancient Times
The space that is now known as Romania (generally marked by the Carpathian Mountains, the Danube and the Black Sea) has been a multicultural melting pot from Antiquity, long before its existence as a national state. The original inhabitants of the land were the Dacians (part of the Thracian cultural family, a very important nation in Ancient times that has influenced Western culture through Greece especially, introducing such names as Dionysus, later known as Bacchus by the Romans, Medea, and so on).
The Dacians were divided in various tribes that were ultimately unified under the reign of king Burebista in the Ist century BC. Burebista was a very strict, but efficient leader and managed to form a military force comparable to that of the Romans, to whom the Dacians were a constant threat. Burebista also managed to sign a convenient treaty with Julius Caesar in which the Dacians agreed to stop attacking the Empire in exchange of a very lax protectorate (the Romans provided engineers, architects and other specialists). Caesar was not exactly thrilled about the situation, but before starting a campaign against the Dacians, he was assassinated in 44 B.C. Ironically, Burebista shared the same fate and in that same year and the Dacian state was again divided after his death.
About a century later, the Dacians, now led by King Decebalus re-united and continued on the path left by Burebista. Nevertheless, after continuously pinching the Roman borders, an anger Emperor Trajan decided to take action. After sustained fights broadly between 101 and 106, Dacia was surrounded and conquered (by betrayal) and became a Roman province. It is said that the golden coins at least doubled their size in the years after this event. Nevertheless, not all the Dacians surrendered (or committed suicide, like Decebalus, not to be captured and presented the way Vercingetorix the leader of the Gauls was after Caesar’s conquest of Gaul) and parts of Dacia, especially in the North were known as Free Dacia, left independent, outside the Empire. Almost two centuries later, due to the growing barbaric threat at the borders of the Empire, Aurelian ordered the troops’ withdrawal.
This moment is controversial and the explanations are given to serve different political interests: some Romantic Hungarian-sided historians claim that all the population left the land to prove their right on Transylvania, but logically, the Romanian answer is that such a large movement of population couldn’t have happened without at least a mention in the histories of that era (see more details about this issue here)
The Dacians were, as I previously stated, very respected by their contemporaries. They were very good craftsmen, traders, farmers, soldiers and left a great inheritance of monuments, gold and silver jewelry (Romania is quite rich in gold), and not only. The Dacian architecture is also very interesting and closely competes with its Ancient counterparts: citadels such as Sarmizegetusa, the capital, were very complex and modern (the Romans managed to conquer Sarmizegetusa by cutting the water pipes. (see more details here).
Transylvania, Wallachia, Moldavia: The Romanian States Before Romania
Before Romania as we know it today, the land was divided in kingdoms (voievodate), of which he main came to be Banat (West) Transylvania (Center/North-West), Walachia (South) and Moldavia (East). Until broadly around the 1100s, there were no clear borders and no unified language, but Daco-Roman dialects specific to each region. Also, due to the passing of various sometimes barbaric waves (Celtic, Germanic, Mongolian or Slavic tribes). After the birth of Hungary and the creation of its monarchy, Transylvania became very interesting, not only for its proximity to the Pannonian plain, but for its many riches). Wallachia and Moldavia grew strong and independent, but both had issues with neighbouring empires: Wallachia was desired by the Russians and both Wallachia and Moldavia were targets for the Ottoman Empire.
In this period, with the constant fear of large armies invading from all directions, it is obvious that the main goal was defense, therefore all the efforts were in providing the army with the best equipments to face the enemies and protect the people. Nevertheless, there were such Valachian voievozi (a king, the ruler of a voievodat) as Mircea Cel Batran (Mircea The Old) in the 14th century who was considered a force and was feared. even in the Ottoman Empire (he did suffer though from supporting the wrong candidate for Sultan). Other important names are Stefan Cel Mare (Stephen The Great) in Moldavia or Vlad Tepes in Vallachia (Vlad The Impaler – known in the West as Dracula, but who actually was the typical medieval ruler, but who wasn’t popular with the nobles or everybody else who wanted a piece of the kingdom, and, in reality he didn’t surpass his contemporary homologues in cruelty!). A notable moment is 1600, when, for a brief time the three main regions were united under the sceptre of Mihai Viteazul (Michael The Brave) until his assasination in 1601.
The 17th, 18th and part of the 18th Centuries Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania each fell under the influence of an outer force or another. From all, Transylvania’s situation was the most precarious: under the rule of the Hungarian kingdom – later Austro-Hungarian Empire, Romanians were not recognized as a nation, even though they represented the majority of the population and were suffering greatly due to that. The Enlightenment came with a national and cultural awakening and the creation of a class of Romanian intellectuals (most of them educated in Vienna, Berlin or Rome) and the birth of the Greek-Catholic/Unionite Church (Romanians were Orthodox, which was not acceptable, so, in order to gain access to education and rights, but not to lose their identity, Romanian intellectuals came with the idea of a Eastern-rite church recognizing the Pope as a leader). That doesn’t mean that the other provinces were in a better state: both Wallachia and Moldavia were under the Ottoman suzerainty.
The Birth of Romania
Then there came 1848 with the awakening of nationalism and subsequent patriotism. Romanians started calling themselves Romanians and, in the fashion of the time, they dreamt of a unified Romania, which was done in 1859 by electing Alexandru Ioan Cuza as a domnitor (ruler) in both Moldavia and Wallachia. The European dominant states had to accept this state, even though they did not support the idea.
Due to the high level of corruption and pursuit of personal goals among those in charge (something rather similar to what is going on in Romania today) the task of modernizing Romania and putting it on the map was very hard. Cuza was most likely willing to give up the throne if a foreign prince would come to rule Romania, but this was done forcibly in 1866, when Carol I of Romania (formerly known as Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen) became Prince of Romania, and eventually King.
In 1877, after several battles with the Ottomans in what is now called Bulgaria, Romania declared itself independent from The Ottoman Empire and it could begin re-building itself as a modern national state.
Romania, the Kingdom
With the reigns of King Carol I and Ferdinand I along with Queen Maria or Marie of Romania (grand-daughter of Britain’s Queen Victoria) and the other members of the Royal Family , political class or intellectuals have helped Romania grow in popularity and prosperity. Even though the two World Wars situations were quite tricky (because of the opposing Empires were holding territories inhabited mainly by Romanians – Bassarabia, Bucovina, Dobrogea and so on) and loyalty to one or another was out of the question while trying to keep what was already there, Romania was nevertheless a survivor. After World War I and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian and Russian Empires, Romania finally attached the provinces they craved so much since the dream of Unification was born. In 1918, Romania Mare (Greater Romania) was created and kept until World War II.
The Inter-war period was especially prosperous for Romania, as it became one of the most developed countries in the area (at least from an urban perspective) and gained popularity outside its borders. The Royal Family was loved and respected by both ordinary citizens and Romanian politicians and foreign representatives. Of course, like any other monarchy, it had its scandals: the Carol II situation is most illustrative – After an unacceptable marriage and constant fights with his parents, Carol II finally accepted to marry “royal” and take the crown, nevertheless, he became a dictator and right-wing movements began to flourish, like in some other parts of Europe as well.
Communism
After a series of land-losses subsequent to World War II, Carol II abdicated in the favour of his son, Mihai, who became King. Mihai I (Michael I of Romania) himself had to abdicate in 1947 under Soviet pressure, which put an end to the Romanian monarchy. From now on, Romanian was moved under the Soviet Umbrella, later an independent Communist state, with the advent of the Ceausescu regime.
With or without KGB meddling, communist Romania was a typical totalitarian dictatorship. Until 1965, with Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej as a president, the society was practically beheaded (in a similar manner with the Mao Cultural Revolution), all the intellectuals and anybody who seemed against the system – even die-hard Communists!, the clerical representatives – the Greek-Catholic Church was forbidden by law were eliminated in one way or another. All institutions were infiltrated with secret agents (KGB at that time) assuring that every layer of human life is covered and controlled.
Later, in the Ceausescu regime, the repression was not as violent, but that does not mean it didn’t exist. Because the system was stabilized and there was at least a generation of brainwashed (future) citizens, there was no need for mass murders. Of course, that does not mean people didn’t suffer. Jails were full, both physical and psychical torture were common practices, trusting everybody else was a thing of the past. Moreover, Ceausescu’s own insanity was transferred to a national level: huge and pompous constructions were ordered, women were forbidden to do abortions, censorship was in bloom and so on.
Dissidence was strong, but it was kept mainly outside Romania. In any case, the Securitate was very active both nationally and internationally and reactionary elements considered as dangerous for the system conveniently died in suspicious manners. Also, Ceausescu managed to fool the West by creating the image of an open-minded Communism and hate towards the Soviet Union. In any case, Romania was in good relations with the other Communist(ish) regimes in the world (Korea, China, African or Middle Eastern countries).
1989 and Its Aftermath
1989 was more or less Communism’s swan-song. Romanians caught the occasion to unite against Ceausescu and what he represented and, with a bit of help from outside, the Revolution was successful. The real sides are rather controversial and – even now – there are a lot of unknowns of whom did what or who were the real murderers. Some people claim that it wasn’t anything but a coup d’état orchestrated by second and third ranked Communist Party members who are still in power today.
Right now Romania is trying to recover from the wounds inflicted by the Communist Regime, but with the corruption and vivid remnants of “the belle epoque” chances are that things will not be fixed in less than a generation’s time or so. In any case, with all the negative aspects from politics and mass-media, individuals are starting to discover that they can make a better life for themselves, even if the system doesn’t give a helping hand. I believe that the future of Romania is in every citizen (no matter what nationality, creed or sex) doing his/her share to bring capital and/or credibility to the whole country.
For about half a century, Londoners were given the possibility to get a week’s worth of entertainment for only one dime. This was The Penny Illustrated Paper. Born in 1861 after the Repeal of Paper Duties act, and with slight name changes – but nothing important enough to alter its identity, it was one the first English papers ever to spread to citywide readers.
Seemingly, it was a close relative with The Illustrated Times, but nothing is certain, at least at the moment. Anyway, it eventually forged with the Illustrated London News and became a part of The Illustrated Times until 1913 when it – sadly – met its demise.
The Penny Illustrated Paper was nothing more and nothing less than a marketplace gazette. As the readers were not necessarily intellectuals – in fact they might have ranged from workers and shopkeepers to maids and such – the subjects touched were not exactly the most pretentious, at least not at the surface. In any case, the quality of the articles and illustrations is surprisingly good considering the low status illustrated press – and press in general – had in Victorian times , suggesting that their sources were anything but a group of dilettantes talking, writing and drawing jibberish.
There is no surprise that Penny’s purpose was less to inform, in fact, it was created to entertain its readers. Its cartoons and comics avant la lettre remind their viewers of the carnivalesque with its subsequent chaos and hullabaloo. Nevertheless, the characters are not necessarily distorted, but the situations depicted surely are at least (apparently) peculiar. However, the fact that its demographics are so much wider than any other contemporary or older illustrated papers’ it gives today’s observers a much more authentic image of what life really was like for the most part of Victorian Londoners.
