Falşi potenţatori de productivitate a muncii [False work productivity enhancers]

Mă tot uit la aceşti oameni cum lucrează... De mai bine de o lună, îi vezi că fac ceva cu adevărat, fie înfruntând ultimele zvâcniri de arşiţă de prin septembrie, fie printre stropii de ploaie, deocamdată timizi, şi adieri tot mai reci.

Nu par a fi nişte naşparlii incurabili precum colegii lui Dorel (+ aici, aici). E drept că, atunci când vine ploaia, o lasă mai moale. Cu toate acestea, n-aş zice putea că nu se străduiesc.

Nu pot judeca eu dacă or fi trebuit să termine de multişor sau dacă lentoarea aparentă (care îi exasperează pe locuitorii din zonă, pe şoferi sau trecători zilnici) o fi vreo constrângere impusă de considerente tehnice.

Indiscutabil, nu are cum să fie uşor să dai la târnăcop sau lopată, să tragi de cabluri şi nici să stai toată ziua în miniexcavator nu este ca o plimbare cu bărcuţa.

Date fiind vremurile (şi salarile!) oribile din România, a munci este – n-o spun deloc cu ironie – un act eroic. Mai ales în condiţiile în care mai toată lumea ia în derâdere munca fizică. N-o fi ea de pus pe piedestaluri, ca în manualele comuniste, dar nici de batjocorit.

Nimic de râs privind activitatea în sine, poate nici de compătimit, însă nu acelaşi lucru l-aş putea spune despre falşii potenţatori de productivitate a muncii folosiţi.

După ce că se fac din greu puţinii bani, după ce şi aşa organismul este solicitat din plin, la ce bun să-i risipeşti pe primii şi să-ţi istoveşti trupul suplimentar cu otrăvitoare delicii precum ţigări, bere (nu 2-3 pahare, ci mulţi litri) şi băuturi răcoritoare?!

Este o tristă înrobire – faţă de obiceiurile consumiste ale lumii care cere să fim în rând cu ea, cât şi faţă de reclamele care intră în subconşient şi te învaţă să bei şi să fumezi.

De fiecare dată când auzim ectenia “pentru cei bolnavi, pentru cei robiţi şi pentru mântuirea lor, Domnului să ne rugăm”, să nu ne închipuim că este ceva desuet a te mai ruga pentru ‘robi’ (că “doar nu ne mai calcă turcii să ne înrobească”, am zice noi), ci să pomenim în gând un astfel de rob!

[Pentru toate postările de pe acest blog mergi la/For all the posts on this blog go to: Contents/Cuprins]

[EN] No comment / [RO] Fără comentarii (30) – Orchids and rain / Orhidee şi ploaie

[EN] As far as I can recall, it was the rainiest month of May ever in Bucharest. [RO] Pe cât îmi amintesc eu, a fost cea mai ploioasă lună mai în Bucureşti.

[EN] But my mother’s orchids stayed happy and paid no attention to the code orange weather outside :-) [RO] Dar orhideele mamei au rămas fericite şi nu le-a păsat de vremea de cod portocaliu de afară :-)

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[For all the episodes of this series, and all the posts on this blog go to/Pentru toate episoadele din această serie şi toate postările de pe acest blog mergi la: Contents/Cuprins]

The Holy Fire [Sfânta Lumină]

The orthodox around the world have just celebrated Pascha again, offering to millions of fellow irreligious citizens (either baptised or not) a longer weekend, suitable for binge drinking, partying and senseless amusement.

What spiritual significance?! To most people, Pascha means no more than a suplimentary day off, thus an opportunity to ‘feel good’ like any other. Or, maybe, not to feel so good at all…

The happy few took off to various exotic holiday destinations, while many had to endure depressive family reunions, as fewer and fewer families these days are ‘little churches’ – as they should be, according to Orthodox teachings.

Instead of experiencing the joy and meaningfulness of life brought by Christ within their families, children only learn that life is all about drinking, eating and having fun.

The ‘Easter Bunny’ part may have been enjoyable, for the few children whose parents afford presents. The rest must have been a relatively unpleasant experience consisting in watching how adults ‘have fun’ – chatting senselessly between meal courses, ‘relaxing’ between a glass of drink and a cigarette…

Forced by tradition and by a rainy weekend, families stayed together, but rare where those were a genuine togetherness existed. Without being together in Christ, the reunion of empty hearts around tables full of delicacies can be but burdensome.

Instead of the Lord, most families shared their intimacy with ‘lord-television-set’, cursing the rain, although it was a real bliss for the thirsty soil that bears us all and of which we expect food.

Among the insipid ‘Happy Easter’ messages, televisions may have inserted pale references to a politically correct Christ, air some tear-jerking reportages, whilst most of the time they probably offered the usual tasteless entertainment.

That was Easter for many… While in churches was the real Pascha, and especially in Jerusalem, where God’s Holy Light appeared again on Holy Saturday.

Every now and then – and especially during each Great Lent – ‘wise’ people thirsty of Andy Warhol kind of ‘fame’ attempt to bury Christianity with their ‘scientific’ discoveries.

Over and over again, their wisdom is humbled by the fact that Christ is Risen, and one piece of evidence in support of this ‘mad claim’ that couldn’t be disapproved for two millennia is the fact that the Lord’s Holy Fire descends from heavens every year, only for the Orthodox Pascha.

Unlike doubtful ‘apparitions’ at various papist shrines and in spite of being subjected to criticism, this miracle has been attested, year after year, for the last 900 years – read more about it: here, here, here, here, and here.

[For all the posts on this blog go to/Pentru toate postările de pe acest blog mergi la: Contents/Cuprins]

About public transport in the UK (20) [Despre transportul în comun în UK]

Although there surely are ‘rivals’ all over Europe – especially in Germany (in Frankfurt etc) – the unofficial title ‘catherdal of train stations’ is probably well deserved by London’s St. Pancras International.

My pics don’t even catch the beautiful Victorian architecture of the main frontage… only the inside of this magnificent building, which has been the British terminus of the Eurostar since 2007.

The former ‘home’ of the Eurostar was Waterloo Station, an equally beautiful building, however, bearing a name deemed ‘offensive’ to the French ego. Today, the French Border Police can legally operate within St Pancras Int’l :-)

In multicultural London – where the French community is sizeable, while there are posters in Polish in bus stations – it’s natural that St. Pancras Int’l is a bit bilingual (pics 6 + 8).

Well connected to the big London Underground (1) and to all London’s airports, St. Pancras Int’l won’t spare people of hearing/seeing constant ‘terrorist warnings’ (2).

Apparently, the huge open space (7) makes it rather difficult for terrorists to hide, and the security checks are somewhat similar to those carried out in airports.

It’s hard to say whether the post-July 2005 bombings panic was considered when switching from Waterloo Station. Nevertheless, St. Pancras Int’l is not too big.

It can barely fit some of the people queuing because of chronic the delays of that are plaguing the Eurostar all year round, irrespective whether a ‘Big Freeze’ is taking a heavy toll on airports or not.

Travellers can at least enjoy a breathable air in summer or take cover from the rain and snow under the spectacular trainshed which truly resembles the dome of a cathedral.

Instead of an altar or iconostasis, corporate people from all over Europe (rushing to do business in the City of London) can’t miss the big clock (9 + 10) reminding them the religious precept ‘time is money’.

[For all the episodes of this series, and all the posts on this blog go to/Pentru toate episoadele din această serie şi toate postările de pe acest blog mergi la: Contents/Cuprins]

Chestii d-astea, numai la britanici (29) [Things like these, only at the Brits]

Că nu prea te poţi pierde în UK, sau măcar nu în zonele turistice, am mai scris deja, dar iată încă o formă de ajutor – astfel de... automate de hărţi.

Poate să fie în plină noapte, poate să şi plouă înverşunat (cum se vede în prima imagine, din Edinburgh), dar dacă ai o singură liră sterlină (1 GBP) la tine... eşti salvat.

Cu minima condiţie de a şti să citeşti o hartă şi a căuta răbdător tăbliţele cu numele străzilor, care nu-s atât de ascunse cum se întâmplă prin Bucureşti uneori.

Cred că mulţi turişti ar fi gata să introducă 5 lei ( = £ 1) într-un automat, pentru a primi o astfel de hartă.

Ar scuti o sumă mult mai mare pe care să o dea unui taximetrist, care – şi nu este ceva tipic românesc, în multe locuri din UE chiar e la fel! – să-l plimbe inutil.

Iar dacă în UK găseşti mai peste tot şi hărţi gratuite, la Bucureşti, automatele acestea devin o necesitate. Dacă nu eşti într-un hotel, nu ai de unde găsi o hartă.

Totuşi, necesitate ar fi dacă ar exista turişti. De-abia atunci s-ar găsi investitori (cu prieteni la primărie, să ia micul spaţiu public pe nimic :-) care ar pune automate.

Dar, cum într-un an nu vin la Bucureşti câţi turişti vor fi la Edinburgh International Festival, în august, sau câţi am văzut la Istanbul, investiţia nu-şi are rostul.

[Pentru toate episoadele din această serie şi toate postările de pe acest blog mergi la/For all the episodes of this series, and all the posts on this blog go to: Contents/Cuprins]

[EN] A few wonders from the UK / [RO] Câteva minunăţii din UK (22)

[EN] This town (with less than 10,000 inhabitants) is said to be one of the rainiest places in Scotland and in the British Isles.

[RO] Se zice că acest orăşel (cu sub 10,000 de locuitori) este unul dintre cele mai ploiase locuri din Scoţia şi din Insulele Britanice.

[EN] However, I (pics 4, 6, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13), as well as my reader C.L. (pics 1, 2, 3, 8, 10, 14) seem to have arrived there…

[RO] Totuşi, atât eu (pozele 4, 6, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13), precum şi cititoarea mea C.L. (pozele 1, 2, 3, 8, 10, 14) se pare că am ajuns acolo…

[EN] – in different years and different times of the year (spring + winter) – in some of the sunniest days.

[RO] – în ani diferiţi şi perioade ale anului diferite (primăvara + iarna) – într-unele dintre cele mai însorite zile.

[EN] Or was it just shorthly after or before a typically Scottish shower? It may well be so.

[RO] Sau a fost cu puţin după sau înainte de o răpăială tipic scoţiană? Se prea poate.

[EN] Anyway, this is a ‘must-see-destination’ which prides itself with the title “Oudoor Capital of the UK.”

[RO] Oricum, este o ‘destinaţie-neapărat-de-văzut’ care se mândreşte cu titlul “Oudoor Capital of the UK”.

[EN] On the shores of Loch Linnhe, close to Loch Ness, and to Ben Nevis, the place is really wonderful.

[RO] Pe malurile Loch Linnhe, aproape de Loch Ness şi de Ben Nevis, locul este chiar minunat.

[EN] The pictures in this 22nd episode were taken in… – Fort William, Scottish Highlands.

[RO] Fotografiile din acest al 22-lea episod au fost făcute în… – Fort William, Scottish Highlands.

[For all the episodes of this series, and all the posts on this blog go to/Pentru toate episoadele din această serie şi toate postările de pe acest blog mergi la: Contents/Cuprins]

[EN] No comment / [RO] Fără comentarii (9)

[EN] I didn’t think such ‘old fashioned’ (?!) icrecream vans still exist in the UK.  [RO] Nu credeam că astfel de dubiţe de îngheţată ‘demodate’ (?!) există încă UK.

[EN] I hadn’t see any. I only knew that the Brits really have no problem with eating icecream in winter. [RO] Nu văzusem niciuna. Ştiam doar că britanicii nu au o problemă în a mânca îngheţată iarna.
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[EN] The image was taken in Feb 2011, in Liverpool – another piece of evidence that rainy days are not taken too seriously in the UK. [RO] Imaginea a fost făcută în Feb 2011, în Liverpool – altă dovadă că zilele ploaioase nu sunt luate prea în serios în UK.

[EN] I would have said that selling icecream like this today is something almost exclusively Italian; well, it isn’t. [RO] Aş fi zis că a vinde astfel îngheţata azi este ceva aproape exclusiv italian; ei bine, nu este.
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[EN] But that was before my reader Mihai Gociu sent me the first pic, to which I add one from Rome. [RO] Dar asta era până ce cititorul meu Mihai Gociu mi-a trimis poza de mai sus, la care adaug una de la Roma.

[EN] Too bad the Nanny State seems determined to uproot the habit. [RO] Păcat că Statul Dădacă pare hotărât să dezrădăcineze obiceiul.

[For all the episodes of this series, and all the posts on this blog go to/Pentru toate episoadele din această serie şi toate postările de pe acest blog mergi la: Contents/Cuprins]