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Tag: Romania

  • Huawei Willing to Meet Any Demand From Swedish Government

    Huawei Willing to Meet Any Demand From Swedish Government

    Huawei has signaled it is willing to meet any demand the Swedish government may impose to avoid being banned from the country’s 5G networks.

    Huawei is under increased pressure globally as multiple countries implement bans and restrictions on the Chinese telecoms firm. While the US originally spearheaded the campaign to isolate and restrict Huawei, claiming the company poses a national security threat, other countries have arrived at the same conclusion.

    Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Romania have banned Huawei from their networks, while the UK implemented a ban under pressure from the US. Sweden implemented a ban of their own, on both Huawei and ZTE, over the same kind of concerns the US has cited. Huawei challenged the ban in court and won a temporary reprieve, as the courts ordered the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority to delay its spectrum auction to allow more time for the matter to be resolved.

    Huawei is determined to get back in Sweden’s good graces, and is willing to do whatever it takes according to Reuters.

    “We are even willing to meet extraordinary requirements, such as setting up test facilities for our equipment in Sweden, for example, if they want to,” Kenneth Fredriksen, Huawei’s Executive Vice President, Central East Europe and Nordic Region, told Reuters.

    “We are now in the middle of the court process, but we are willing to have pragmatic discussions.”

    It remains to be seen if Huawei’s overtures will be successful, especially since Sweden’s ban was based on analysis by the country’s military and security experts.

  • ‘Dracula Castle’ For Sale to the Right Buyer

    ‘Dracula Castle’ For Sale to the Right Buyer

    Bran Castle, a national monument and landmark in Romania commonly known as “Dracula’s Castle,” is not formally on the market for a disclosed sum, but the present owner says the property is up for grabs if the price and buyer are right.

    Mark Meyer of the firm Herzfeld & Rubin helped the current owners, Archduke Dominic and his sisters Maria-Magdalena Holzhausen and Elisabet Sandhoferregain, regain possession of the castle in 2009, after a legal battle with the Romanian Parliament over the property. According to Meyer, the Archduke would consider a buyer “if it were an interesting offer and they were the right people – It doesn’t have to do with class, it has to do with who will preserve the castle.” Archduke Dominic has previously offered to sell the castle to the Romanian government for $80 million.

    Once a prison of Vlad the Impaler (the historical figure who very loosely inspired Bram Stoker’s iconic Dracula character), Bran Castle presently hosts roughly 560,000 tourists per year. The fortress was built in 1388, features 57 rooms, has zero bathrooms and is situated on 22 acres, in a fairly remote location.

    Here is a photo montage Bran Castle:

    Interestingly, Bram Stoker never visited Romania, and Vlad the Impaler’s actual castle is sitting in ruins in the Principality of Wallachia (Vlad III merely spent two months in Bran as a prisoner.)

    Here is the trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula of 1992, the definitive horror-fantasy erotic-drama adaptation of Stoker’s text:

    Which somehow lead to this:

    “If someone comes in with a reasonable offer, we will look at who they are, what they are proposing, and will seriously entertain the idea,” Meyer commented, adding, “What you have to remember is that this castle is the real thing. We don’t need men going around dressed up in old-fashioned costumes; the place speaks for itself.”

    Bran Castle currently functions as a museum displaying a collection of art and antique furniture from its previous owner Queen Marie of Romania

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Dracula’s Castle Offered To Romanian Government For $85 Million

    The Transylvanian castle said to be Dracula’s home is now up for sale. Bran Castle, built in the 13th century, is located in the countryside, with the closest town a few miles away.

    Many people have occupied the castle over the years, including knights and warriors. However, its most well known inhabitant is Vlad “The Impaler Tepes, who was said to be imprisoned there sometime in the 15th century.

    Vlad of the House of Draculesti, made Dracula’s name famous. It is said that Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, saw images of Bran Castle and used that as inspiration for the home of Dracula. Stoker’s description of Dracula’s castle is also the perfect description for Bran Castle: “The castle is on the very edge of a terrific precipice. A stone falling from the window would fall a thousand feet without touching anything!”

    However, the castle’s official website says that Vlad the Impaler’s real castle now sits in ruins in the Principality of Wallachia. The reason Bran Castle is called Dracula’s castle, is that it is the only castle in Transylvania that fits the description of Dracula’s home.

    The Habsburgs, the descendants of Queen Victoria of Britain, now own Bran castle. All three of the siblings are in their 70s, and they do not have the energy and time to renovate and maintain the castle.

    Reports say that the property was offered to the Romanian government for $85 million. Mark Meyer, who is handling the sale of the castle, refuses to disclose the real price. He said that the owners are looking for the “right” buyers. “It doesn’t have to do with class, it has to do with who will preserve the castle,” he said.

    According to reports, the castle is making profit, but it still has a big potential to generate even more profit when renovated.

    Bran Castle, Transylvania

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Transylvania Scientist: “I Created Artificial Blood”

    MedicalDaily reports that a Romanian scientist from the town of Cluj-Napoca in historical Transylvania may have just created the first synthetic and side-effect-free artificial blood substitute.

    This new blood doesn’t use hemoglobin to carry oxygen like previous blood synthesis attempts; instead, it uses a protein called hemerythrin which is extracted from a specific kind of invertebrate sea worm found in the ocean. The hemerythrin is mixed with water, some salts, and potential applications are innumerable.

    Hemerythrin-based artificial blood is not a deep red like hemoglobin-based blood, but more of a translucent yellow; the team dyed it red for familiarity’s sake. The new artificial blood is preferable to hemoglobin-derived alternatives because hemerythrin remains capable of enduring the chemical and physical stresses of an organic body much longer than hemoglobin, which generally falls apart under the same conditions.

    One of the principal researchers, Dr. Radu Silaghi-Dumitrescu, said doctors could use the artificial blood to lower the rate of infection in clinics to infected donor blood, and that if it passes muster, it could supply oxygen to patients for up to a day.

    “Mice treated with this ‘Made in Cluj’ artificial blood did not experience any side effects, and this is precisely what we want,” he told Romanian reporters, adding that he’s not interested in human testing until the team is 100 percent certain that there is no blood toxicity risk. “Tests on humans are an extra gentle subject – authorization…represents a huge risk,” he said.

    A Smithsonian blog by author Tuan C. Nguyen notes the unfortunate history of the search for viable artificial blood, which she acknowledges “has become a medical “holy grail” of sorts… So much so in fact that some of the brightest minds in medical science, hailing from ambitious startups to multi-billion dollar health care companies, have exposed an unknowing public to risky experiments that have thus far only yielded disheartening, and at times, disastrous consequences.”

    The FDA refuses to approve any hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers because of potential toxicity, but the use of hemerythrin might one day lead researchers to a portable “instant blood” that could be mixed with water and administered under any conditions — battlefield, hospital, or otherwise.

    [Image via YouTube]

  • Hilary Swank Sets Out to Save Stray Romanian Dogs

    Hilary Swank loves animals, and she’s not above taking a trip across the pond to spread her love of those creatures who cannot speak for themselves. Recently, the “Million Dollar Baby” actress embarked on a mission to Bucharest, Romania in an attempt to save the stray dog population that’s quickly becoming a problem in the city. According to reports, there are approximately 35,000 canine running free, and their fate is still up in the air.

    What to do with these animals has become a hot-button issue in Romania; some feel that the dogs should be put down, while others believe they should be rounded up and placed into shelters. Additionally, quite a few folks think the canines should be sterilized, which would prevent them from producing even more strays. Swank, who feels that sterilization is the way to go, also feels that these dogs can help improve the lives of the disadvantaged.

    Here in the States, Swank created the organization Hilaroo, which helps unite animals with needy children and those whose lives have taken a turn for the worse.

    “I believe that is so healing to these kids who don’t trust people anymore,” she explained. “The unconditional love of an animal is very healing and teaches them about not just unconditional love but about a relationship, about responsibility, about anger management.”

    She feels that such an organization could help improve the stray canine population in Bucharest, as well. Instead of simply killing the dogs and being done with it, Swank urges officials to sterilize these homeless dogs and cats and allow them to interact with children who could benefit greatly from the companionship they provide.

    “I’ve seen firsthand how it changes the path of the soul,” she said. “For the animal and for the child.”

  • Anonymous Leaks Romania’s Nuclear Department Database

    As Romania is engulfed in massive protests over their government’s perceived incompetence, a branch of Anonymous has leaked the nation’s National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering database online.

    Anonymous has posted a video in support of Romania’s protests. There is no mention of the database leak, instead focusing on the fight to replace their government. They throw their support behind the citizens and claim that they are going to fight for them.

    You must acknowledge the fact that bringing down one man, and choosing another will not solve your problems. This will only perpetuate the political circus that has been unfolding in front of your eyes for 22 years. You must acknowledge the fact that your entire political class is corrupt and does not serve the interest of the people, as it should.

    Many of you know that the world is changing, many of you feel that inside. Do not loose hope, for anonymous is by your side. We must stand united against our governments and make our voices heard, for we are the people of the world who want to put an end to the economic and monetary enslavement.

    We’ve not been able to contact the Romanian branch of Anonymous to get a statement, but we’ve asked a few other branches of Anonymous for their take on it. Anonymous Sweden speculated that the leak was to “show disclosure on safety issues.”

    Various Anonymous twitter feeds have been linking to the database, but we won’t as the database does contain sensitive information with a decryption tool that allows people to easily access the information.

    Anonymous has also reportedly attacked a Romanian government Web site for not providing support to the children of Romania. A hacker group going by the name of “lulzcart” sealed the Web site and put an image on the index detailing the take down.

    romania

    Anonymous has thrown their weight behind pretty much every protest that has happened in the past year from Egypt to Occupy Wall Street. This might be, however, the most controversial data dump yet. People, myself included, tend to become uneasy when national nuclear research is made available for everybody to see.

    We’ll keep you updated on everything Anonymous as they happen.

  • Google Street View Adds Images Of Romania

    Armchair explorers with nice monitors should be glad to know that another portion of central Europe is now accessible through Street View.  This afternoon, Google announced that photos of Romania have gone live, and there are definitely some impressive sights to see.

    Octavian Iercan, Operations Lead of Street View Europe, gave several examples in a post on the LatLong Blog.  One of the more unique landmarks is Peles Castle, a structure that the Street View pics show is quite large and quite interesting (despite being obscured by trees).

    Otherwise, Iercan wrote, "From your virtual vantage point, you can now take a look over the bridge onto Lacul Vidraru (Vidraru Lake). This is the starting point of the most beautiful road in Romania, the Transfagarasan mountain pass, which at its highest point reaches 2,034 meters above sea level."

    Iercan suggested the Romanian Arcul de Triumf in Bucharest, Parliament Palace, and a coffee shop in Brasov called Vatra Ardealului, as well.

    Enjoy having a look around.  It’s always fun to discover a new region.

    We’ll just leave you with one last point worth mentioning: while Street View has faced legal challenges in many nations, Romania’s a country that hasn’t yet confronted Google over the program.  As a result, Street View users may run into fewer black areas where residents opted to obscure their homes, their vehicles, or themselves.