Teodora's Blog

You can watch the rewind here 2017 is coming to an end, so it’s the perfect time to experience it once again. Perhaps it would have been more convenient if I had chosen to talk about Google’s “Year in Search” video. Even The New Yorker’s collection of reviews would have provided a better discussion about culture and the stories that shaped 2017. So out of all the available possibilities, why have I chosen to write about this year’s YouTube Rewind? “Defend” is a strong word. I somehow wanted to voice my opinion and convince others (even myself) that the video does have a good intention. If you ask me, YouTube has always been a great escape from reality, the perfect place to listen to book discussions, watch epic travel montages, have a laugh at ingenious skits… and express your outrage at 2017’s rewind. The video has received plenty of dislikes in order to make me pay more attention to the content itself. It’s highly questionable whether the rewind makes you feel nostalgic for 201...

Discursul lui Andrei Pleşu poate fi ascultat accesând link-ul: http://www.uaic.ro/andrei-plesu-doctor-honoris-causa-al-uaic / Pe data de 12 decembrie 2017, Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” din Iaşi a acordat titlul de Doctor Honoris Cauza scriitorului Andrei Pleşu, un moment istoric la care am avut ocazia să particip. Ceremonia a fost coordonată de Prof. Dr. Mihaela Onofrei şi comisia de Laudatio, formată din autorităţi ale UAIC şi ale altor universităţi. Parcursul carierei lui Andrei Pleşu a fost rezumat într-un Laudatio citit de Prof. Dr. Eugen Munteanu de la UAIC: „A scrie despre Andrei Pleşu este deopotrivă relativ uşor, dar şi foarte greu.”. S-a subliniat şi faptul că Andrei Pleşu rămâne în continuare unul dintre cei mai sofisticaţi intelectuali ai culturii noastre postbelice, nefiind separat, în investigaţiile sale înalte, de lumea înconjurătoare, de viaţa propriu-zisă a individului ca atare: „Care e detaliul transcendent al personalităţii lui Andrei Pleşu, apt să treacă...

I think it goes without saying that everybody has read or at least heard of “Murder on the Orient Express”, one of Agatha Christie’s most famous works. However, if some millennials still have no idea what I’m talking about, then the name Hercule Poirot might ring a bell. Each one of us has surely come across a short description or a slight mention of the fictional Belgian detective, with an egg-shaped head, a carefully grown moustache and a bundled-up costume. In order to discover the world of Hercule Poirot, there’s no need for you to start off with the first book in the series. You can ask other people for recommendations and you will most certainly be advised to pick up “Murder on the Orient Express”. Why so? Is it because of the unexpected place for a murder? Or perhaps it is Poirot’s unique cleverness which stands out the most. After all, it is quite an achievement to work out a crime with a limited source of clues and all sorts of background stories from complete strangers. ...