Daniel Todercan Blog

As I predicted in my previous post, Russia took first place in the Eurovision this year. Ukraine (my other prediction) were next in line on the chart boards as this music contest is moving more and more to the East. Yet again, block voting politics is the most effective way of winning this competition.

Also predictably, the West doesn’t like being pushed around, especially when the main sponsors come from Western Europe. More and more do we hear that they are getting “tired” of Eurovision, and start denigrating this contest. I’d have to agree that it isn’t that impresive anymore but, at the same time, it is the Westerners who are sending singers that can’t really sing, and dancers who can’t really dance. What kind of performance-based voting could there be, when countries with great talent potential send second-hand artists for Eurovision?

The UK, for example, went back to the 70’s disco, with a song that would not have even made the final without their money-secured seat as a sponsor. Andy Abraham, an anonymous X Factor runner-upper is apparently all that is left for the Brits. Maybe only as far as Eurovision is concerned, and even there he got the last place in the final. The Swedes (think ABBA) decided to forget about musical talent when they sent Charlotte Perrelli on the stage. They placed their bets on her looks that apparently won her the 18th spot. The French sang something in English, which is interestingly unusual. They also tried a 70’s – 80’s goofy style of singing; I would almost like the song if I didn’t have to see who is singing it.

Block voting may be the result of not having quality music, and not just political manifestation; I am not saying that Russia’s song was great, or Ukraine’s, or especially my own country’s (which didn’t even make it into the final), on the opposite, Bilan seemed too arrogant and Lorak didn’t really have a good voice. But at least they had a show. I couldn’t say the same about some of the Western contenders.

About a year ago, I have written about the Eurovision music contest that takes place annually in Europe. This year, the competition was organized in the country that won last year: Serbia.

There have been some changes to the rules of participation this year that require two semifinals instead of one. Unfortunately, Moldova (represented this year by Geta Burlacu, with her song, A Century of Love) didn’t pass the semifinal and must go home defeated. This is the first big loss for Moldova since joining Eurovision in 2005 (last year’s representative took 10th place out of 24 in the final).

I think Geta’s song was okay, and the reason for why it couldn’t make it passed the semifinal is that it is not as commercial of a song as Eurovision usually promotes. Her style of singing somewhat resembles that of Sting’s, and I give her kudos for having the courage to go to Belgrade this year.

The sad part is that this was the best song that we could have chosen to represent us, as Geta’s competition back in Moldova was just bad (her main contender was questionably-talented Alexa and her song, We Are One).

My prediction for the winner of the politicized contest this year is either Russia (Dima Bilan - Believe), Ukraine (Ani Lorak - Shady Lady) mainly due to the politics of neighbor-voting rather than the quality of the contenders.

Finland sent a rock band to represent them (Teräsbetoni - Missä Miehet Ratsastaa), in hopes of repeating their success from 2006 when their Lordi won the competition with a hard rock flavor and a spectacular presentation. Romania also has promising chances with the good voices of the duet Nico & Vlad. Of course, we might see a change in practice and hope for a fair nomination for winners this year. The final will be streamed live on Saturday, May 24th, 2008 at 9:00 PM CET on the Eurovision official website.

As a student majoring in Political Science at the University of Alaska Southeast, I had the opportunity (and the requirement for graduation) to apply for the Legislative Internship Program that is offered each year in Juneau, Alaska. After being accepted into the program (with a significant amount of stress involved on my part) in September of 2007, I was anxious to start my work as an intern in the Capitol Building.

The course is primarily academic, with an upper-division seminar held every two weeks, and a healthy load of materials on Alaska Politics to be studied from multiple angles. We, as interns, got a chance to compare and contrast the theoretical issues with a practical, hands-on experience of politics in action.

As I found out in the early stages of my practicum, this year’s Legislative Session was to last only 90 days (as opposed to the 120 days in the past) which gave us the privilege of seeing things in motion at a rather fast speed.

The 25th Legislative Session was marked by last year’s corruption scandals, that resulted in three elected officials (from both the Senate and the House) being investigated by FBI and sentenced in federal prison for bribery among other things. Alaska’s current governor, most popular in the United States, Sarah Palin was elected to office mainly through her anti-corruption positions and an agenda for transparent government.

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As I am writing this, there are less than ten days left from this legislative session, and I can say that it has been a blast. I have learned more about Alaska, and the legislative process as a whole than ever before. Furthermore, the seminar (which is not yet over) proved to be one of the hardest classes taken at this university so far. To be frank, this internship was one of the crucial reasons for coming and staying at UAS, and now that I am able to look back at it, it was totally worth it.

Learning about Alaskan politics and handling some issues that I could only read about in the past, made me understand a lot more about the process and the structure of my own government back in Moldova. It seems like (as my PoliSci professor pointed it out) politics is something that could be studied continuously during a lifetime in order to understand it, but could also be described in one word: power. It was amazing to see how this one word influences the building and the personalities involved in creating (not-necessarily-sound) public policy. From insignificant issues (like issuing keys for the building doors) to major ones (i.e. the construction of a natural gas pipeline), it all amounts to one thing: who has more power.

But primarily, I learned that the legislature is run by people. It is a expression of people’s qualities and shortcomings, and their abilities to compromise. The end of the session seems to magnify those traits, making it a good time for personalities to manifest themselves.

After having celebrated New Year’s Eve in New York last year, with confetti and atmosphere, this New Year’s celebration has caught me on a remote island in the Pacific. So instead of the giant skyscrapers and the Statue of Liberty, I was surrounded by the palm trees and exotic beaches of Hawaii.

I got off the plane, and automatically expecting the Hawaiian welcoming with flower necklaces, it was a little disappointing to find out that they don’t do that for everybody. So remember this: whatever you’ve seen on movies is not real. Maybe if you’re traveling First Class they might, but if you’re a regular old folk from Juneau, Alaska you won’t get flower necklaces. Darn…

The moment you step off the plane (and after you are disappointed by the lack of the flower necklaces), you feel two things very prominently. The first one is the very humid air that gets high in the 80’s F (26 C) in the month of December. It wraps around you immediately and doesn’t let go of you until you leave the island.

The second thing you feel on the Big Island of Hawaii is the feeling of separation. Even though Hawaii is the 50th (youngest) state of the US, it still feels like it is on its own, the mentality of the local Americans being very different than that of those from the “Mainland” (a term that has an equivalent in Alaska: “Down-South.” Usually used with pride by Alaskans, because of the individuality that it gives them. I am suspecting that it is a very similar situation with the Hawaiians in relationship to their “Mainland”).

The impression that I got about the people on the island was that everything is laid back, everybody is enjoying life, almost as if the sun has made them be more aware of their own nerves (and mood) and don’t really worry about much. Of course, they have regular lives, jobs and stresses, but they seemed a bit more relaxed than anyone I ever met. It might be an Island thing.

Other than the hot air, there is the beauty of the natural surroundings that Hawaii can offer. From chameleons to sea-turtles, and from volcanoes to the Pacific Ocean, they give it a splendor that leaves the oh-so-dreaded tourist with an impression of excellence and memories that will be cherished forever.

Celebrating Christmas under a “Palm-Christmas Tree” was most exciting, and I can definitely say that it has been the hottest Winter Holiday that I have ever had.

The trip to Turkey was a total success. My aunt and I have arrived at the Antalya airport with our bags full of bronzer, t-shirts and hopes for a good vacation. The Turkish van driver was dead asleep, and the name of our travel agency on the side of the van was the only clue that he was expecting us. After some unsuccessful attempts to start a conversation with him, we realized that he spoke nothing except Turkish. He made some articulate moves and yelled something towards a slowly approaching figure wearing a white shirt with an orange tie. That was our guide. Thankfully, he spoke Russian, and we were assured that everything was fine, and we were to depart to our hotel shortly.

About an hour and 60 miles later, we finally arrived to our hotel. I stepped out of the van, trying to find something to get a hold of: the Turks obviously thrive over speed, and traffic lights are just “suggestions” and it is not mandatory to stop at a red light. I thought I was going to die. My aunt, still laughing at me, tipped the driver and the guide, and we were ready to check in.

The hotel seemed enormous. I knew it would be a 5-star hotel, but this was way better than I imagined. It was built in an Arabesque style, with a sense of noble grandeur and it gave a sense of tradition even though it opened last April. Food and drinks were all included in the “package,” several pools belonging to the hotel, and the Mediterranean about 50 feet away were all-too-good to be true. The very first day of our stay there, we checked where everything was and what other goodies the hotel offered.

We signed up for scuba diving on a Sunday. It was fantastic, even though in the beginning I was scared to death, and it took a great amount of self-control and the individual help of an instructor to get me past the first 5 meters of our dive. I realized that I am more afraid of depth than of height, even though that is debatable. After I got accustomed with the sense like that of (I imagine) walking on the moon, I felt more relaxed, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. My aunt felt the same way, and we would have done it again, but it was time to go back to the hotel.

I feel recharged, and I think it will be awesome to do that again sometime. We left Turkey with good impressions, even though the hotel staff wasn’t very friendly and/or helpful at times, but it is the good things of our trip that will be remembered.