serious issues

United Nations' Human Development Report for 2009 has been released. Norway is "the country" to live in or to migrate to... Romania ranks 63rd, few places behind all neighboring East European peers. Sounds bad and makes you feel a heartburn. (several Asian, Latin American or even African countries outpaced Romania)

But it is not that bad actually; from the 63rd to the 1st, it is just a 3 hours flight or 2 days train trip. So why don't we all pack and move? Because we like it here... We all like the mess in social, economic and political life...

Just imagine that on a sunny day in Oslo (which is like, ehm, 6 months), your neighbor, Mr.Bjoerndalen instals the new BBQ he made from old bicycle parts and exposes whole neighborhood in smoke, covering anything green with the smell and foggy fume of meatballs... Nikka Liukin, the young football player with primary school diploma, driving his newly tuned Volvo on the main boulevard, listening loud Bergen folk leaking through his car windows... Eric Didricksen, the mayor of Trondheim, visiting the construction site of the 500m bridge, which caused protests due to ongoing works since 2 years and promises that until December, the work will be done (which year?)... Doesn't fit, huh? Sounds like a B-movie transcript.

On the other hand, Oslo has the highest rate of suicides in Europe. So maybe the mess keeps us motivated... Sincerely I couldn't stay more than a long weekend there and probably would miss Bucharest in those few days.