It’s going to be a great conference on science, education, and human rights (and that’s precisely what my talk will be about: science as a human responsibility and ethical obligation). You should all come! Don’t you want to visit Bucharest?
IHEU Conference in Romania, May 2013
I might get lost in that building.
Gotta say, that building absolutely reeks of Soviet-style Communism.
Sammy’s Romanian Steakhouse: “You’ve tried the best, now try the Bucharest”
@Trebuchet:
It’s apparently the heaviest (although far from the largest) building in the world, and was indeed built when Romanian was still a communist state – under the oppressive Ceaușescu government. But the original plans weren’t completed when the 1989 revolution happened, and apparently there are still a lot of vacant spaces inside the place.
Actually, it reeks more of the megalomaniac Nicolae Ceaușescu.
Nah, Soviet Communism. With Ceausescu to top it off.
I’d love to go to Romania, especially since last time I complained about how you never come to Europe. Alas, June is too early for many, many reasons. August would have been better. *sigh* I never win!
But I wish I could go. For whatever that counts.
Wow! Top billing in an international conference! Go git ‘m, Doc!
Dublin in June…does that help?
Romania is a way underrated travel destination. I went there a few years ago. Have a good-without-god time PZ!
This calls for a song!
I would do much to go to Romania. The forests! The biodiversity! Any professor there need a new PhD student interested in forest entomology and can speak only a smattering of Romanian?
We’ll have the search parties standing by. If we don’t hear from you after two days, much drama will ensue.
Don’t those guys have any Romanians worth hearing?
yup. such “palaces” are all over the capitals of the former Eastern Bloc.
This is the one in Warsaw: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Culture_and_Science
And there are seven(!) of them in Moscow: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Sisters_(Moscow)
Ceaușescu took a personal interest in the planning of this monstrosity. For some reason he did not want central heating installed.
Also, I am told he dictated the design of some ornament (ugly as sin) to go on top.
And he levelled huge areas of historically and architecturally important Bucharest buildings to create Russian-style parade streets.
Nerdette: “The biodiversity!”
Ceaușescu made an abortive attempt to move polar bears to the Carpahians (they died). He was a compulsive bear hunter and had more brown bears moved to his hunting reserve to keep up with his compulsion. Some of thewm strayed outside and killed people. Another facet of his KIm Il Jong-style personality.
Jadehawk
We have one in Riga, too.
PZ
No, Dublin in June is still too early. This is why I feel bad about complaining: I’m just not getting what’s convenient for me! (Eastern Bloc or nothing!) ;)
One day.
#14: Many years ago (not long after the revolution) the Atlantic magazine ran an article about Ceaucescu’s bear hunting. It’s probably on their Website archive.
This is neat to see, usually the only thing I hear about Romania or Romanians is how “faithful” of a people they are, and how they are like 100% christians. So yeah, neat to see such a cool looking conference there, wish I could go!
And one woman in 8 headliners? sigh. What have we been talking about????
And no mention of Romania’s own Cristina Rad!
@PZ, you are very welcome, looking forward to meeting you.
The building is hideous, the insides are very nice though. The conference takes place in a great conference room.
There’s apparently 15 levels of underground in the building including a stadium :)
#14 birgerjohansson –
Polar bears the exception, but the Carpathian blue slug (Bielzia coerulans) is endemic. What I wouldn’t do to turn over some rotting bark to find one of those!
Romania? At such short notice!?! You should have posted that much earlier.
…Whoa. That’s full-blown Stalinist gigantism.
Not one word of this surprises me.
Whoa.