Cav's Place

Setting some clear goals apparently did work, as I did manage to write the review for Heiress of Healing that same evening, then the next protest report on Monday, so I wasn’t late for once, and then I somehow also went over those sections I had finished in my story! That was far too hard and took way too long, but I started Tuesday with that longer one and then did the rest as well over the next three days, so as of yesterday I can finally say I caught up once again. All of this, and making sure I wasn’t falling behind with anything else as well, meant I wrote very little, but that was also the case back when I wasn’t doing any of these.
Also managed to finish that scenario I was stuck at on Age of Wonders II, as well as the next one, so now I’m at what should be the final one and, after realizing what I should be doing and settling into it, I think winning is only a matter of time, if quite a lot of time. Probably won’t manage to finish it by the end of this week, but should be no problem to do it the next, which should also give me enough time to have a chance to write the review by the end of the month as well. Not making any promises, however.

What I didn’t do was contact any of those independent candidates, and I’m not even sure how I’d go about doing that, so I’ll probably first wait for the decisions to be final, which will apparently happen on Wednesday, and then see how they’ll choose to present their views and interact with the potential voters. It may end up being unnecessary anyway, at least when it comes to the matters that the activists also focus on, since I know there are plans to ask all parties and independent candidates to state their views on these issues.
I also didn’t go out at all this week, since there were no protests or related events that I cared to attend, I didn’t need to buy anything and for the past few days it was rainy and therefore I definitely didn’t want to just go for a walk either. Since deciding to do so, seven years ago, I went out at least once every single week and I don’t plan to skip this one, so let’s see what I’ll do tomorrow. At worst, I may simply exit the building and then turn around and come right back, as I did I think twice before.

But now I think I’m going back to the game, since it finally seems to be going well. Or I could see what I can do about all the MobyGames links that simply redirect to the site’s front page since the new owners decided that subdomains were bad and removed them, without adding any other method of restricting by platform or even making the redirects work properly. After getting bored waiting for them to do something about it, I changed two such links, as well as the scripts that generate them on my games played list, but a quick search shows some 60 more posts that will need to be edited and I sure don’t feel like doing that.

The date for this year’s National Anti-Fracking Day had been set to April 6 quite some time ago, activists from several dozen cities, communes and villages, including some from abroad, organizing protests on that day, all starting at 3 PM. As such, after the on-line campaign had begun even earlier, the efforts aimed to create awareness about the event on the streets of Bucharest started in earnest on March 30, apparently at 1 PM. As proof of how serious the activists were this time around, on top of printing huge numbers of fliers and posters, they had also managed to secure a location to serve as campaign headquarters, where volunteers could go to receive the materials to be spread around the city or to help create the signs and banners that were to be displayed or offered to people during the protest itself. In addition, some messages first asked those willing to lend a hand to gather on April 4, at 5:30 PM, in a little park, before others called all volunteers to come to the University Square underground passage on April 5, at 11 AM and 5 PM, as well as the next day, again from 11 AM.
Despite all this, and no doubt at least in part due to the weather and to the fact that, as some had correctly pointed out, a significant number of people would have preferred the event to start two or three hours later, the protest itself was rather subdued, largely consisting of a series of speeches in front of a crowd of no more than a few hundred. In fact, the mainstream media limited itself to either reporting that we were “over 100” or quoting the Gendarmerie, which was estimating between 100 and 150. However, around the time the first speech started, some five minutes before 4 PM, I actually tried to count the protesters and ended up a little shy of 250, while not long after that George Epurescu announced from the stage, after listing the few cities in which thousands were attending, that “over 250” people were present. Later, I had the impression that more had arrived and was tempted to estimate our numbers at up to 400 at the peak, but now, after looking over the pictures I took as well, I strongly doubt that.
The organizers even followed the procedure required by our restrictive laws, so this protest was entirely legal. Admittedly, it was hard to believe that they’d have managed to use the stage, have a generator and a sound system, and set up a tent without these approvals, and the fact that the protest was meant to be calm and static probably meant that they didn’t have many difficulties in obtaining them. I don’t actually have any information about that, but I consider just this lack of information as evidence in favor of my assumption, seeing as activists usually post when they attempt to obtain such an approval and are given a hard time.
In fact, the protocol signed with the authorities this time around was unnecessarily permissive, stating that we were allowed to occupy the area until 9 PM when the protest ended shortly after 6 PM, and even that meant that it lasted longer than many wanted it to. That was because, despite being mostly on topic, the speech made by a known and, in my opinion, respected activist was particularly long and some people started scattering as a result, the process continuing in earnest when it was announced that anyone who has something to say is welcome to use the stage and two of those who generally take advantage of this movement to rather aggressively promote their own views and causes rushed to seize the opportunity. The rant the second one had launched himself into was eventually stopped by an activist, after he had ignored the protesters who had started chanting against fracking in an attempt to remind him why we were there.
After that rather unpleasant moment, a couple more brief speeches marked the end of the event and, while the sound system remained in use, for music dedicated to the cause, and the tent was still manned, the activists began gathering the materials and equipment. A few had a different idea, wanting to start a march, on the sidewalk, to the Government building, but no more than a handful seemed interested and some of the better known figures argued against it, correctly pointing out that having so few people try to march, breaking the protocol the organizers had signed with the authorities in the process, would put the event in a bad light. While I left a few minutes later and therefore don’t know for sure, I assume there was no march.

Otherwise, the events set to take place as part of the exhibition I mentioned before, which opened on March 27 and aims to be a retrospective of the protests that started last September, continued with a concert on March 30, a debate about mainstream and independent journalism from the point of view of portraying the protests on April 3, and a mix of both, a debate on the topic of art as protest followed by another concert, on April 5. According to the listed schedule, this latter debate should have taken place on April 2 and I don’t know whether it was rescheduled or this means that there were two of them, and I also saw no mentions of the concert and the painting workshop scheduled for April 6. I did see, however, a message stating that some other concerts and workshops, which were supposed to take place outside, had to be rescheduled due to the weather.
Last but definitely not least, according to a picture I saw, a flash mob in support of women’s right to have an abortion, reminding people that over 10000 died as a result of the procedure being banned by the Communist regime, took place in front of the University Square fountain on March 31. That image was shared by a few others after the fact, but I saw nothing whatsoever about the event otherwise, so the only other piece of information I have comes from the description of the picture, which states that it was taken at 5:13 PM.

Full disclosure: I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway. This has in no way influenced the opinions expressed in this review.

I became interested in Heiress of Healing hoping it was the start of an epic fantasy series and began reading it fearing it may in fact be merely paranormal romance disguised under a thin veil of more “proper” fantasy. On both counts, I was right and wrong at the same time, because it is something between the two, featuring a decent enough actual fantasy side and a paranormal romance part that, though I generally have no interest in or experience with the genre, I have to recognize as outstanding.

To get this out of the way, yes, that means there is sex as well. No, it’s definitely not used for cheap thrills. Whether we’re talking about main or secondary characters, and whether it’s making love, merely fucking or something in between, each sex scene has a clear purpose, is relevant for the characters and the story, and is portrayed almost perfectly. At times, when this approach is needed and possible, you’ll find rather detailed descriptions, while other times you’ll see no more than brief mentions. Perhaps most notably, however, the author recognizes when mere words would prove inadequate in conveying the emotions experienced and the bonds created during such an encounter and allows and trusts the reader to understand the moment’s intensity and significance on their own.
In fact, Heiress of Healing is greatly aided every step of the way by good writing and a significant amount of polish. Without this being in any way meant as a criticism against the actual contents, it can be said that the writing style was the main reason why I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and it definitely was the reason why my initial concerns were quickly forgotten. Sure, those reading with a critical eye or who simply have a penchant for nitpicking may notice the odd style issue here and there, particularly after the first part, but you do need to search for them in order to do so, the overall quality of the writing exceeding not only what one would be tempted to expect from a new and unsigned author, but that found in many well-known and popular works as well.

If I’m to mention some complaints, I must begin with the frustration caused by the behavior and personality of the lead character. I could probably muster some shred of empathy even for the queen, but definitely not for Iminique, particularly since she’s usually not the only one paying the price for her actions or inaction, and at times not the one paying the price at all. True, I can’t say I found any characters truly worth cheering for, but she’s the main one and supposed to be the champion of good, inasmuch as this story has one, which only makes it worse. At the same time, none of this can exactly be said to be a flaw of the book, the author very accurately portraying personalities that one would reasonably expect to find in those positions, considering the world the action takes place in.
As such, perhaps it would be fairer to complain about how jarring it sometimes is when the story jumps forward in time, especially when this is also associated with changing the location and characters. The first time this happened was actually quite a shock for me and I can’t exactly say I ever got used to it, so I’m sure there is a better way to do something like this.
In addition, at least one storyline introduced in such a manner not only doesn’t get resolved in any way, but doesn’t even appear to have an actual purpose, though that becomes understandable once you remember that Heiress of Healing is the first in a series and therefore parts of it are expected to be little more than introductions for the following books. Yet viewing it this way may make one expect it to include details that are not to be found here, the author at times making use of some shortcuts and simplifications that may give those used to complex stories and detailed worldbuilding some reason to frown. Whenever this happens, however, one would do well to remember the genre Heiress of Healing is meant to fit into.

To conclude, if you’re looking solely for the next great epic fantasy series, you won’t find it here. If, on the other hand, what you’re searching for is a character-driven fantasy story that won’t give you headaches while trying to follow all that’s going on, or perhaps simply some well-written and, at least for a new and unsigned author, surprisingly polished escapism, you could do a whole lot worse than Heiress of Healing. Most importantly, however, if you aim to find an ambitious mix of romance and fantasy that seeks and, for the most part, manages to go beyond many of the limitations one may consider typical of paranormal romance and, as my case proves, may well be thoroughly enjoyable even for those who’d normally stay well away from the genre, then seriously, do yourself a favor and pick this up!

Rating: 4/5

As expected, merely mentioning backlogs didn’t exactly get me far when it comes to the more difficult things, so let’s see if setting some clear goals for this month, as laughable as they’ll be, will help in any way.

I did finish reading Heiress of Healing on Sunday, but I’m yet to write a review, so that would perhaps be the most urgent matter at the moment. I have the first and the last paragraph, parts of another and a list of the other ideas I want to include, but that was all I could find words for so far, so I’ll need to try again this evening. If it still won’t work, I guess I’ll be delaying it until next week, because I seriously doubt I’ll manage much of anything tomorrow, after returning from the protest.
I’ll definitely also need to find some way to go over all the sections I finished writing in my story since I last checked any, starting with that last one from what I consider to be part three, which I keep avoiding because I estimate it’ll take me some six hours and the mental effort I put into editing means I can’t remain focused for more than two hours or so at a time. If I don’t do that, I’ll just keep falling behind even more and the prospect of catching up will be more and more daunting, so I must work it out somehow… And I also must figure out some way to write more as well, or at the very least enough to keep the average above 250 words per day all the way to the end of this month as well. It peaked at almost 263, halfway through September, but now I consider managing to add about 150 at a time to be pretty good, so that average keeps going down.

To move past writing, I should also finish Age of Wonders II by the end of the month, though I’m still stuck at that second “death” scenario. No longer in any immediate danger of losing, but it sure was ugly, and still is, so I think I only played some 35 or so more turns over this past week and, even after I’ll win this, I’m not looking forward to the remaining scenarios… Nor am I looking forward to reviewing it, but I’ll definitely want to do that too, though not necessarily this month.

Last but definitely not least, with the elections for the European Parliament taking place next month, I guess I’ll need to figure out who I’m going to vote for, and that may well involve asking the two, or possibly three, independent candidates I didn’t immediately rule out about their stance regarding the issues that matter to me, seeing as I can’t find any list of goals or views from them otherwise.
With Erwin Albu obtaining less than half of the required number of signatures, Remus Cernea not even being allowed to apply, apparently because he hadn’t numbered the lists of signatures and arrived 12 minutes before the deadline, so at that point the issue obviously couldn’t be fixed anymore, and the Green Party (PV) and even the Ecologist Party (PER) having their lists rejected, I went from having three more or less acceptable options and one backup in theory, to none whatsoever in practice. So at this point I’m looking at eight parties and three independent candidates that definitely aren’t tolerable options and two, or perhaps three, depending on a court ruling, other independents that I didn’t rule out simply because I don’t know what they plan and stand for, so my only hope is that one of these will prove to be at least somewhat tolerable…

While one page also mentioned that the Syrian community from Romania invited Romanians to join them on March 18, from 6:30 PM, in commemorating the more than 200000 who were killed in the three years since the start of the Syrian civil war and expressing opposition to the Assad regime, the event that was actually embraced by the movement that day was a protest that took place in front of the Bucharest National Theater, starting at 5:30 PM. This was triggered by the fact that a convoy carrying most of the parts required to build the fracking well had arrived in Pungesti under the cover of night, protected by large numbers of gendarmes who ensured that the few locals who tried to stand in the way of the trucks had no chance to hamper the operations, so it was obviously announced on very short notice.
Only about 70 people were present at the peak, but I’m sure that well over 100 showed up at one point of another, so the reason why, after slowly increasing at first, the numbers held relatively steady, between 60 and 65, for most of the time we spent there was the fact that plenty got bored and left before others arrived. After all, we were largely just sitting around, nobody seeming to dare to make a speech or even start some chants until, close to 7 PM, Alex finally showed up as well, which also seemed to embolden a few others to briefly chant before the loudspeakers were used for a conversation with someone from Pungesti, who described the current situation and the previous night’s events, stating that unfortunately most of those people who fought bitterly for months have since become too frightened to continue and largely resigned themselves to their fate, despite being convinced that the well will spell disaster for their community.
Following a brief discussion, it was then decided to line up at the very edge of the sidewalk, holding the banners and chanting while cars passed and leaving Alex to repeat a brief speech describing the situation and the precedent it sets while they were waiting for the light to turn green again. Unfortunately, only perhaps half of those present did so, the rest seeming to decide that even that was too much trouble and largely sitting down on the stairs to chat until, as even those of us who had initially stepped forward were starting to give up, a vote was called. The choices were to march either to a minor television station that supported the protests, to the Ministry of Economy, or to the Government, the first option winning because a handful of others took after one guy who always wants to do that and shouted in favor of it while most can be said to have abstained, saying nothing.
As such, at 8 PM we were in the underground passage, where Maria suggested to stop for a moment, to inform those passing through there as well. Five minutes later, however, the rest continued on their way and I left the group, seeing no point in that march, but I later learned that, after arriving there and protesting on the sidewalk for a while, apparently some 40 people were left when it was decided to block Victoriei Way, perhaps some 25 actually sitting on the road in order to do so. From what I saw, this apparently lasted 15 to 20 minutes, during which the gendarmes attempted to negotiate and then, after dealing with some technical difficulties, followed the proper procedure, the protesters clearing away peacefully after receiving the final warning. Since all of this took place in front of the window that makes up most of one wall of the studio the television station in question broadcasts from, two were invited inside, to take part in the talk show that was on air at the time.

Moving on to March 19, two conferences about fracking took place that day. The first one, starting at 2 PM, was organized by the Romanian Geological Institute and largely aimed at promoting this method, so after some rather conflicting messages it seemed to have been decided to ask those who have something to say on the matter to attend in order to ensure that those favorable opinions will be challenged and the arguments against this technology will be presented as well. The second, on the other hand, started at 6 PM and dealt with the legal framework for exploiting unconventional fossil fuels, being organized by a few NGOs involved in the fight against fracking, so at least everyone could agree on promoting it. No idea what actually happened during either of them, however.

An important event for the movement, albeit more so for those who also participated in the protests that started in January 2012, took place on March 21, as part of the One World Romania festival. I’m referring to the screening of Where Are You Bucharest?, which was followed by a discussion with the team. According to the initial announcement, this was to be the only screening in Romania before the film will end up in theaters, at some point during the summer, though a message posted later stated that it’ll also be shown on May 30, during a festival taking place in Cluj.
Under these circumstances, large crowds were expected and those expectations were definitely met, as people started arriving very early and moved inside 30 minutes before the scheduled time, waiting in a tight group and struggling to make way when those who had things to do were looking for a way through, in order to manage to get a seat. After all, the theater had some 300 seats and, even though the viewing wasn’t free, there were far more people there, so once all seats were filled the rest stood all around, leaning against the walls or against the curtains at the back, as well as on every step of the stairs. Once no more could fit in even like that, those who were still outside had to be turned away.
Seats had proved insufficient the day before as well, for the first viewing of “Romanian Autumn”, which was part of the same festival and was also followed by a discussion with the team. This was somewhat interesting, because we’re talking about nothing more than a 15-minute short about these protests that started last September, and which could also be viewed on-line for a certain period of time, before the start of the festival. Plenty didn’t seem aware of that, however, even though the duration was on the poster as well, so I noticed some disappointed comments after the fact, though I wasn’t there myself to know whether anyone complained directly. Naturally, far fewer showed up for the second viewing, on March 23, and the discussion that followed then was apparently far shorter as well.

Also on March 23, people were asked to gather around the University Square fountain from 4 PM, to show solidarity with the father of the child who was found dead in Aricestii Rahtivani, after inhaling gas from a conventional oil well owned by OMV Petrom and not protected by as much as a fence despite being very close to houses. This was because, according to the information coming from the activists working with the child’s family, after taking pictures of Petrom workers erecting a fence around the well without obtaining any permits, to be able to say that it had been there all along, the father had found himself the victim of repeated intimidation attempts, culminating with being taken from home, beaten by gendarmes and told that they’ll “take care of him” if he keeps talking or posting about the matter. He ended up in hospital after this, the doctors admitting that he had “minor” internal injuries, but refusing to issue a certificate detailing their findings.
As usual, unfortunately, few people were there on time and nothing seemed to be happening until somebody had the idea to simply place the signs and banners on the sidewalk and wait for simple curiosity to attract people, while a few activists were there to hand out fliers and answer questions. This actually resulted in a few even deciding to stick around and we were around 55, maybe up to 60, at the peak, and this time I even took a few pictures once again.
After a while, some speeches started being made, at first explaining the situation. Sadly, despite initially seeming somewhat capable of restraining themselves, the activists eventually launched once again into accusations aimed at those who don’t join us, who don’t act to show that they care about what’s happening, Maria’s lengthy outburst being the most notable such moment. This will obviously never attract anyone, in fact being quite likely to make even some of those who are interested walk away, and those present did scatter after it, around 6:30 PM, but many of those who have managed to remain involved after all these months are tired, angry, extremely frustrated with the situation and, at least in some cases, rather radicalized, and they unfortunately keep proving that they simply can’t help themselves when it comes to this.

During the event described above, a member of one of the associations representing those who have participated in the Revolution approached us and said that they had an approved protest the next day, starting at 9:30 AM, and were willing to allow us to join them and state our grievances as well. However, while two activists said they’ll post an announcement and discuss exactly what to do with others, I haven’t seen anything about it on their profiles, nor have I heard anything about that protest that was mentioned, so the next event I do know about is an exhibition called “The Street Is Ours“, which opened on March 27, at 6 PM. Scheduled to only close on April 17, it aims to be a retrospective of the protests that started last September and will include debates, workshops, concerts and viewings of documentaries and other related films. Alongside pictures, drawings and artistic installations, actual signs, banners and other materials used by the protesters are on display, people having been asked to donate them for this purpose.

Finally moving on to March 29, a protest for Romania’s forests took place, starting at 2 PM and including a march that ended in University Square. The reasons were the complete lack of funding allocated for forest conservation and protecting biodiversity in the 2014-2020 National Rural Development Program, the lack of action against illegal logging and the fact that an Austrian corporation is obtaining the rights to exploit increasing areas in ways that appear less than legal, and definitely are unethical.
While supported by WWF Romania and also mentioned by the movement’s “official” page, the protest was organized by the Federation of Forest and Pasture Owners’ Associations and this showed in the signs and banners that were displayed, some actually dealing with the environment or at least being witty, but others being obviously political or promoting a nationalist or even religious agenda. As such, some of the few who meant to join the march because they expected it to focus on the environmental aspect were sorely disappointed and even quickly left, but I for one wasn’t surprised and spent most of the time walking around to take a lot of pictures, only actually joining the protesters a few times, when I heard chants that I agreed with and which were also frequently used during other recent protests.
Then again, the signs and banners that actually were on topic were likely the best and most relevant aspect, as otherwise, after allowing them to use the street to gather and march the short distance to Unirii Square, the gendarmes told the protesters to move to the sidewalk, where they had to stay all the way to University Square, which was reached around 3 PM. Since I actually counted a few times, I can say that around 200 people gathered there at the end of the march, but after a few speeches that held them together for a while longer, things quickly died down and, though the protest had been approved and announced to last until 5 PM, by 3:30 PM everything had ended, people merely waiting for the buses to take them back to the parts of the country each of them were from, and a couple of groups were already leaving to head to said buses on foot instead.
Before I can end this post as well, however, I also need to mention another event that took place that day, starting at 5 PM and including a screening of the first film in the Exposing the Invisible series and a debate about citizen journalism. In addition, the movement’s “official” page also mentioned the Earth Hour event organized by WWF Romania in Carol Park, which was to start at 8 PM and feature unplugged music and juggling.