Virgiliu Pop

Realitatea TV: Şase români au participat la simularea unei expediţii pe Marte

2011-02-18T19:25:00.000-08:00

Having interviewed me the previous day, Realitatea Tv - the main news television of Romania - broadcast this 2-minute story about RoMars2011 at 18:50:

"They saw their dream come true. Six Romanian researchers simulated an expedition to Mars. [...] Romania is the fourth country in the world who simulates an expedition to Mars. In order for the adventure to look as real as possible, the six Romanians lived for two weeks in a capsule somewhere in the middle of the Colorado Plateau. 'We were waking up around 9 AM and, if on Earth we were used to begin our day with a shower, well, we had our water restricted here, we could shower only once every three days. We were brushing our teeth but not with toothpaste - we were using baking soda. If you were to ask me before the simulation if I were prepared [for a mission to Mars], I would have said 'I don't think so'. Now, I think I would dare to embark on such a journey' - said Virgiliu Pop, the commander of the mission. The RoMars mission is not over yet. The Romanian researchers are analyzing the results of the experiments they carried out in the desert".

Establishment of the RA Heinlein Club in Lupeni

2010-05-18T06:49:00.000-07:00

RA Heinlein Club, Dudestii Noi, 12 December 2009

2009-12-12T06:41:00.000-08:00

Moving to own domain

2009-02-18T06:57:00.000-08:00

As of February 18th, I moved to my own domain. This blogspot site will no longer be updated; instead, visit virgiliupop.com.

The International Year of Astronomy in Bucovat, Timis County

2009-02-11T08:15:00.000-08:00

We meet again our friends from last year - the teachers and kids from the Bucovat school. In October 2008, they celebrated the World Space Week with a "Planets' Game". Coordinated by two enthusiastic teachers, Mihaela Cepeha and Camelia Dinu and with the help of other teachers, the event reunited 30 pupils in the school's sports hall. The Romanian Space Agency, coordinator of the WSW in Romania, rewarded them (as well as the other Romanian WSW participants) with a book and a diploma. The Bucovat space cadets decided to establish a science-fiction literary circle, and Radio Timisoara, the regional radio station, rewarded them with several Sci-Fi books for their school library. Radio Timisoara coordinates "Actiunea Badea Cartan", the person in charge with the collection of old books and their distribution to village libraries being my father, Radu Ciprian Pop. As this year is the International Year of Astronomy, and as the theme of many of the donated books is the fictional exploration of space, Radio Timisoara agreed to give the kids also a basic telescope so that they can catch a glimpse of the starships they will read about from their new library. In attendance was also Laurentiu Nistorescu from the "Renasterea Banateana" newspaper, who came on behalf of the "H.G. Wells" literary circle. It was agreed that on April 12th - on Yuri's Night - several HG Wells writers will visit Bucovat and, together with their younger colleagues, have a common reading session.

Cotidianul.ro : Virgiliu Pop: “Omului de rând nu îi pasă de cercetarea spaţială. Ce ar zice dacă nu ar mai putea vorbi la telefonul mobil?”

2009-02-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

Virgiliu Pop, un tânăr cercetător român revenit în România să lucreze la Agenţia Spaţială Română, explică într-o scrisoare publicată de cotidianul.ro de ce ştiinţa nu este un lux pe timp de criză.
Cu promisiunea finanţării programelor naţionale de cercetare, Virgiliu Pop, unul dintre tinerii cercetători români din străinătate, a revenit în România pentru a lucra la Agenţia Spaţială Română. Specialist în drept spaţial, el este autorul volumului "Who owns the Moon?", publicat de Editura Springer în 2009.
Cotidianul.ro publică scrisoarea acestuia, referitoare la bugetul alocat cercetării pe 2009:

“Îmi permit să împărtăşesc cu dumneavoastră unele gânduri, la vreme de criză. Cercetarea «tace şi face». Doar în «Revolta lui Atlas» a lui Ayn Rand, minţile luminate intră în grevă, arătând lumii ce înseamnă o societate care îşi neglijează motorul intelectual.

În realitatea românească sunt cercetatori care pleacă «dincolo», dar nici aceia nu se bucură de faima sau de bunăstarea financiară pe care o are un cântăreţ de manele sau un fotbalist.

Când un cercetator face o descoperire care îmbunătăţeşte nivelul de trai general, prea puţine ziare menţionează acest fapt. Când un fotbalist îşi face un nou tatuaj, o lume întreagă este pusă la curent.

E timpul să schimbăm această stare de fapt. Criza financiară este o realitate, dar nu trebuie să afecteze în mod negativ cercetarea. Nu ne bucurăm de o mediatizare largă; ar fi bine să schimbăm viziunea mass-media asupra cercetării, şi ar fi bine să schimbăm, mai ales, viziunea factorilor de decizie asupra acestui domeniu de importanţă vitală. Prea puţini dintre oamenii de rând - dar şi prea puţini dintre guvernanţi - îşi dau seama ce înseamnă activităţile spaţiale.

Lumea îşi închipuie că acestea se rezumă la cosmonauţi care ţopăie pe Lună sau fac tumbe pe staţia spaţială internaţională, şi nu îşi dă seama că agricultura şi inundaţiile sunt monitorizate prin satelit. Este firesc să ne bucurăm pentru succesul Ministerului Afacerilor Externe în procesul cu Ucraina, prin care am câştigat o importantă parte a platoului continental. Ar fi bine să fim, însă, conştienţi, că spaţiul cosmic adăposteşte bogăţii mult mai mari, care aşteaptă să fie exploatate. Trebuie să îi spunem omului de rând ce înseamnă spaţiul pentru el, în viaţa de toate zilele. Dacă o parte din telecomunicaţii se desfăşoară prin cabluri intercontinentale de fibră optică, o mare parte se datorează sateliţilor geostaţionari. Omului de rând nu îi pasă de cercetarea spaţială, deocamdată; ce ar zice dacă nu s-ar mai putea uita la televizor la meciurile de fotbal? Ce ar zice dacă nu ar mai putea urmări telenovele? Ce ar zice dacă nu ar mai putea vorbi la telefonul mobil?

Trebuie să ne folosim de psihologia populară şi să arătăm că, într-adevăr, contăm. Trebuie să ţinem cont de faptul că oamenii sunt, într-adevăr, speriaţi de posibilitatea ca un asteroid să ciocnească Pământul în viitor. Trebuie să le spunem că, într-adevăr, această posibilitate există, dar că, dacă activităţile spaţiale sunt susţinute financiar, oamenii de ştiinţă pot lucra pentru a preveni o atare catastrofă. Dinozaurii nu au avut buget de cercetare şi au pierit.

În timpul crizei trebuie să strângem cureaua, nu să tăiem alimentarea cu sânge a creierului. Nu numai că bugetul cercetării nu trebuie redus în vremuri de criză, ci acesta, dimpotrivă, trebuie mărit. Investiţia în cercetare produce inovaţii tehnologice, care îşi «scot banii». Un medicament performant reduce timpul de spitalizare şi economiseşte bugetul sănătăţii; un material de construcţii nou scade costurile cu infrastrctura, reducând cheltuielile de la buget în acest domeniu - şi aşa mai departe. Progresul ştiinţific din ultimele sute de ani a făcut ca membrii clasei de mijloc de azi să aibă un nivel de trai mai bun decât nobilii de odinioară. Cercetarea pe timp de criză nu este un lux, este o necesitate.

Înţelepciunea biblică proclamă că unde nu există viziune popoarele pier; iar înţelepciunea românească spune că acolo unde nu e cap e vai de picioare. Mesajul nostru către guvernanţi trebuie să fie: Aveţi grijă de cap, pentru ca să o ducă bine şi talpa ţării”.

"Ceasul Bun" on Analog TV Timisoara

2009-01-27T03:06:00.000-08:00

Finally, my October 25th, 2008 interview on Analog TV is online on Youtube (in Romanian) - click here.

The Space Renaissance Initiative

2009-01-24T07:39:00.000-08:00

I just signed this appeal:

CALL FOR A WORLD SPACE RENAISSANCE FORUM
Help the space economy revolution!
The global economy is entering a deep crisis, the worst since 1929. This is the second act of the "Crisis of Closed-World Ideologies", which has been developing throughout the XX Century. In 1989, the fall of the Berlin wall was the Crisis of Collectivist Ideology. The recent massive failure of the financial system is the Crisis of Neo-Liberal Ideology. Both these ideologies failed because they are based upon a closed-world, terro-centric philosophy. There are now almost 7 billion humans making massive demands on planet Earth: we urgently need to open the frontier, and move to a wider vision of our world, so as to access geo-lunar system resources and energy. In short, we need a new "Open World Philosophy". The alternative would be the implosion and collapse of our civilization. The most promising event of the current time, the emerging countries' industrial revolution, will very soon have to face the dramatic insufficiency of the energy and other resources of the Earth. Because of this they are destined to fail if they remain locked within our planetary boundaries.
There are some encouraging signs, pointing the way out of such confinement: in 2004, Scaled Composites proved that low-cost space travel is feasible - as it has been for 50 years. And both China and India have the Moon in their sights: they seem to understand clearly that space offers an alternative to a darkening future.
This is because it is now evident that any closed-world strategy will result in tragedy, as the 1930s depression ended with World War II. Today, since the energy and resources of planet Earth are not enough, it is far too likely that this crisis will end with a terrible holocaust, if we do not reach outside our world to obtain new resources and energy.
Consequently if G20 discussions are to solve the economic crisis, they must include plans for geolunar system industrialization, as the only sustainable direction for development, since this will make non-terrestrial resources and energy available. If governments are to give out financial aid, it should not be to obsolete industrial segments!
Help should be given to the most promising industrial revolution of our age: the ignition of the space economy, which can only be based on low-cost space travel. This means, initially, rapidly developing low-cost space travel, industrialization of the Moon, space solar power supply, and accessing extra-terrestrial resources from asteroids and cometoids!
There need be no depression if we aim high! If we want our civilization to continue, and to reach a higher ethical level, a new Renaissance is necessary and urgent - a Space Renaissance, the industrial and cultural revolution of our age!
Stock exchanges are burning billions each week, but what are they burning? Only bits of information in bank accounts. Real wealth is not money, but technologies and the potential for work: with 7 billion intelligences, Humanity has never been so rich! The above is clearly evident to all astronautic humanists, but not to our political leaders!
WILL WE REMAIN SILENT, WAITING FOR THEM TO REACH UNDERSTANDING BY THEMSELVES?
This is a call to the thousands of astronautic humanists, space activists, and all visionaries of a space-faring humanity. We must speak out loudly this time: the G20 should become G21, including a representative of future citizens of orbital and lunar cities and elsewhere in the Solar System! If a nation is defined by a shared ideal, then we are a nation, the Land of the Space Renaissance, and our homeland is currently a region in cyberspace!
But we could hold a major Space Renaissance Forum, one week before the next G20, in April 2009, calling on all existing pro-space organizations and all sincere astro-humanists to join! The aim will be to give a contribute to the solution of the problem, in an open-minded spirit, and not to make useless polemics.
Please show your interest and help this idea: it could make a big difference by bringing this vital new idea to the attention of the public.
Add your signature to this call, here: http://www.tdf.it/SRI/sri-call.htm, thank you!

This call was written by:
Adriano Autino, Patrick Collins, Alberto Cavallo, Michael Martin-Smith, Charles Radley
The promoters organizations group is open and growing.
For the complete list so far, please see the web site http://www.tdf.it/SRI/sri-call.htm
Join the Organizational Committee - info@tdf.it

The Sky - Mirror for Cultures

2009-01-23T01:27:00.000-08:00

Friday, January 23rd, the French Cultural Centre in Timisoara hosted the opening of the posters exhibition - "The Sky - Mirror for Cultures". The event, courtesy of the French Association for Astronomy, takes place in the ambit of the International Year of Astronomy. The exhibition can be vsited until February 8th. After Eric Baude, CEO of the Timisoara French Cultural Centre opened the event, the participants were invited to listen to live jazz music, watch "The Old Man, the Desert, and the Meteorite", a documentary by Karel Prokop - and enjoy a "starry cocktail"

The best moment of the Inaugural Parade ...

2009-01-21T02:44:00.000-08:00

... was this one (via NASA Watch):

I do not know whose idea it was to include the Lunar Electric Rover in the parade, but President Obama and Michelle seemed indeed impressed.

The Times (South Africa): Gimme some space

2009-01-11T01:59:00.000-08:00

The Times, a South African newspaper, revives (after a rather long absence from the international mass media!) the story of the Lunar Embassy. Albert Buhr takes a precautionary approach: "Be warned, however: buying lunar land on the Internet may be just one small step, but it’s a giant leap into a world of legalistic controversy and downright, well, lunacy. ... Hope’s argument also rests on being the first person to lay claim to the moon. This is not true" .
The South African journalist offers his readers a piece of advice: "But before you start looking at other celestial bodies with an entrepreneurial glint in your eye, first take some legal advice from the self-proclaimed owner of our sun, Professor Virgiliu Pop. A space law expert at the University of Lille in France, Pop publicly claimed ownership of the sun in 2001 to expose what he calls “the phoney extraterrestrial real estate industry”.". And he offers - "Where our moon is concerned, you may well conclude as I have: it belonged to Jenaro Gajardo Vera. After all, as Vergiliu Pop relates, even President Nixon acknowledged Gajardo’s ownership when he sent him a letter in May 1969, prior to the first lunar landing."
Three little corrections - I am no longer in Lille, I am not a Professor, and President Nixon did not acknowledge Gajardo's lunar ownership. As stated in my book, "Unreal Estate", this pertains to the legend.

Gazeta de Sud: Cui aparţine Luna?

2009-01-09T16:12:00.000-08:00

Delia Patru, from the Romanian newspaper "Gazeta de Sud", writes:
În timp ce agenţiile spaţiale internaţionale caută să îşi trimită cât mai repede un reprezentant pe orbită, un cercetător de la Agenţia Spaţială Română pune în discuţie problema proprietăţii astrului selenar. ... Cu o astfel de aglomeraţie de prezenţe pe Lună, cineva şi-a pus, cum era şi normal, întrebarea cum vor fi împărţite eventualele încasări pe solul selenar. Spre surprinderea tuturor, întrebarea nu a venit de la vreun reprezentant al NASA sau ESA (Agenţia Spaţială Europeană), ci din partea Agenţiei Spaţiale Române. În anul recent încheiat, editura Springer a lansat volumul „Who Owns the Moon? - Extraterrestrial Aspects of Land and Mineral Resources Ownership“, aparţinând lui Virgiliu Pop, specialist în cadrul Agenţiei Spaţiale Române. Tonul abordat este extrem de serios, Pop combătând „Moon Treaty“ din 1979, unde luna este considerată o proprietate comună. De altfel, tratatul nu a fost ratificat de nici una dintre naţiunile cu ambiţii lunare serioase. Specialistul român este convins de necesitatea stabilirii şi pentru Lună a dreptului de proprietate, pentru că „spaţiul este o frontieră care favorizează mai mult individualismul, decât colectivismul, iar astfel de provocări trebuie înfruntate aplicând un regim legal adecvat“. Un pic ca în Far West? Vom trăi şi vom vedea. Între timp, există oameni care cumpără teren selenar de ani buni. Tot ce trebuie să faceţi este să accesaţi site-ul www.lunarembassy.com şi, cu 20 de dolari, puteţi deveni proprietarul unei mici bucăţele din Lună."

All is good, except that you CANNOT become the owner of a lunar plot by "buying" it from the Lunar Embassy.

Dr.dk: Hvem ejer månen?

2009-01-09T07:10:00.000-08:00

Mikkel Tofte Jørgensen from DR (formerly Danmarks Radio), Denmark's national broadcasting corporation, interviewed me on the subject of lunar property rights.

Hvem ejer månen?: Priserne for et stykke af månen begynder for tiden på 200 kroner. Og det er penge ud af vinduet. For hvem ejer egentlig Månen? Svaret er tvetydigt, for retten til det ydre rum er rodfæstet i en gammel traktat. Og der er brug for regler for Månen, siger forskere med speciale i det ydre rum.
Medvirkende: Flemming Hansen, teknologichef ved DTU's Institut for Rumforskning- og teknologi og Virgiliu Pop.

Videnskab.dk: Hvem ejer månen?

2009-01-05T03:22:00.000-08:00

From videnskab.dk:
Hvem, der egentlig ejer månen, er derfor blevet et mere påtrængende spørgsmål, end nogensinde før. Nu har forskeren og juristen Virgiliu Pop skrevet en bog om denne manglende ejendomsret i det ydre rum. ... Nu hævder forsker og jurist Virgiliu Pop fra det rumænske rumfartscenter (ROSA), at dagens konventioner, som regulerer månen, er yderst begrænsede. Pop er en af verdens førende eksperter i jura i verdensrummet. Pop påpeger, at konventionen ikke tematiserer landrettigheder på månen, og at dette vil blive et problem om en 15 års tid. Pop foreslår en udvikling af ejendomsretten i verdensrummet. Han diskuterer hvorvidt dette bør foregå via de nationale love. Kollektivt ejerskab har han kun begrænset tro på.

Freemindstv.com:

2009-01-02T03:29:00.000-08:00

Episode 91 of Free Minds TV is dedicated, inter alia (from minute 9:30 to 12:50), to the question "Who owns the Moon", quoting my book:

Free Minds TV is a news commentary television show, turning focus away from the two party system and challenging viewers to 'think ouside the box.' The show premiers on Friday nights at 9pm on Cheshire TV, and is then released to other cable stations across New England. The show is also posted here at Free MindsTV.com and other places across the Internet.

Publico.es: Fiebre del oro en el espacio

2008-12-30T10:51:00.000-08:00

Daniel Mediavilla interviewed me:
Virgiliu Pop, investigador en la Agencia Espacial Rumana y autor del libro Who Owns the Moon? ("¿de quién es la Luna?"), cree que los tratados de las Naciones Unidas en el espacio exterior y la idea de compartir los recursos espaciales como un bien común "han retrasado el desarrollo de una economía espacial". En su opinión, el desarrollo de leyes que posibilitasen la apropiación privada de los recursos espaciales beneficiarían a todas las naciones, incluso a los países más débiles. "Asegurar los derechos de propiedad sería un pequeño precio a pagar, mucho más beneficioso para la humanidad que dejar el entorno espacial sin desarrollar", asegura.

ADN.es: ¿De quién es la Luna?

2008-12-29T09:25:00.000-08:00

From adn.es:
Según Virgiliu Pop, un especialista de la Agencia Espacial Rumana, que acaba de publicar "Who Owns the Moon? - Extraterrestrial Aspects of Land and Mineral Resources Ownership" (Springer, 2008), las normas y reglas relativas a las propiedades extraterrestres están muy limitadas, ni siquiera son capaces de definir conceptos básicos como, por ejemplo, qué es un cuerpo celeste.
En su opinión establecer derechos de propiedad es la solución más aconsejable. Dejando al margen sus nobles ideales, el Tratado Lunar presenta más inconvenientes que ventajas. Los planes de regreso a la Luna van a hacer que la cuestión de la propiedad en el espacio exterior se concrete en nuevas normativas.

Forskning.no: Hvem eier månen?

2008-12-26T09:29:00.000-08:00

Ingunn Haraldsen writes:
Nå har forsker og jurist Virgiliu Pop skrevet bok den manglende eiendomsretten i det ytre rommet. ... Nå hevder forsker og jurist Virgiliu Pop ved Det rumenske romfartssenteret (ROSA) at dagens konvensjoner som regulerer månen er svært begrenset. Pop er en av verdens fremste eksperter på jus i verdensrommet. Pop påpeker at konvensjonen ikke tematiserer landrettigheter på månen, og at dette vil bli et problem om en 15 års tid. Pop foreslår en utvikling av eiendomsretten i verdensrommet. Han diskuterer hvorvidt dette bør gå via det nasjonale lovverket. Kollektivt eierskap har han liten tro på. -Tross noble idealer om likhet for alle, har prinsippet om fellesarven i Moon Treaty flere mangler enn fortrinn, sier han til SPACE.com. I boken diskuterer han også hvorvidt noen eier asteroidene og kometene, eller om disse "flytende godbitene" er fritt vilt for erobringsvillige romfartsaktører. ... Tandberg deler Pops vurdering om at dagens Moon Treaty er for upresis på en rekke områder.

Fantascienza.com: In Romania qualcuno si chiede: di chi è la luna?

2008-12-18T16:11:00.000-08:00

Alessandro Mure, from the Corriere della Fantascienza, writes:
Mentre riparte la corsa allo spazio, uno studioso dell'Agenzia Spaziale romena pone la questione della proprietà del suolo lunare ... E poi ci sono anche le ambizioni spaziali di Israele, Iran, Corea del Sud, Brasile e altri contendenti minori. Con un simile affollamento di presenze sulla Luna in un futuro più o meno lontato, qualcuno si è giustamente chiesto come verrà spartito l'eventuale bottino del suolo. Chi? La Nasa? La Esa? No. L'Agenzia Spaziale Romena. Non è uno scherzo: è appena uscito il volume Who Owns the Moon? — Extraterrestrial Aspects of Land and Mineral Resources Ownership (Springer, 2008) scritto da Virgiliu Pop, specialista dell’Agenzia Spaziale Romena. Lo studio è serissimo e si schiera contro il Moon Treaty del 1979 in cui si sanciva il principio della luna come patrimonio comune (e infatti non è stato ratificato da nessuna delle nazioni con serie ambizioni lunari). Pop professa con convizione la necessità di stabilire anche sulla luna il diritto di proprietà, perché “lo spazio è una frontiera che favorisce più l’individualismo che il collettivismo, e tali sfide devono essere affrontate approntando un regime legale adatto”.

Romanian Experts - An interesting debate

2008-12-16T17:12:00.000-08:00

My space.com interview raised some interesting questions - not only on lunar property rights, but also on national pride or shame:

Un roman, expert in probleme "lunare" (Joi, 11 decembrie 2008, 17:41)
Cifrus [anonim] Publicatia "Live Science" il citeaza chiar zilele acestea pe compatriotul nostru Virgil Pop, ce a scris o carte despre posibila exploatare comerciala, capitalista, a Lunii. "Who Owns the Moon? - Extraterrestrial Aspects of Land and Mineral Resources Ownership" (Springer, 2008) Iar aici aveti articolul: http://www.livescience.com/space/081210-who-owns-moon.html. E totusi o mica mandrie pt. Romania ca un roman e consultat in astfel de probleme ! Astfel de satisfactii sunt rare si merita remarcate.

hai sa ne fudulim (Joi, 11 decembrie 2008, 18:26)- rica venturiano [utilizator]
Am ajuns sa avem o parere atat de proasta despre noi incat si un interviu luat de o publicatie straina unui roman sa ni se para un motiv de mandrie pentru Romania? Sa inteleg ca specialistul respectiv (pentru care am tot respectul, sa nu se inteleaga gresit) a vorbit in calitate de reprezentant al Romaniei? Cand o sa pricepeti ca daca un roman realizeaza ceva, meritul e al lui, nu al vostru?

hai sa ne mandrim (Joi, 11 decembrie 2008, 19:12)romanescu [anonim] i-a raspuns lui rica venturiano- Vom "pricepe" asta cand presa si multi dintre romanii complexati vor realiza ca atunci cand un roman violeaza, fura sau omoara, de vina nu sunt "romanii" si "un roman" ! Clar? Fiecare tara, inclusiv printre cele mai mari din lume, promoveaza realizarile "individuale" ale cetatenilor sai. Sau faptul ca un francez ia un premiu, e citat, e dat ca referinta, nu crezi ca e o mandrie pt. francezi sau pt. Franta? Sau habar n-ai ca legiunea de onoare se da pt. merite "individuale"? Suntem multi satui de manelisme si complexe de inferioritate, de stiri de ora 5, promovate cu sadism si masochism national de o parte a presei si ne bucuram sincer ca mai apar si astfel de informatii. Multumesc lui Cifrus!

luxdesign28 [utilizator] i-a raspuns lui rica venturiano salut nu e fudulie. La un alt nivel de constiinta se considera ca noi, respectiv romanii suntem ca un organism. Se pot considera partile sanatoase realizarile pozitive ale conationalilor, respectiv partile bolnave, involutiile acelorasi conationali de-ai nostri. Trebuie sa ne asumam atat partile pozitive, cat si partile negative. Ideea este ca un roman, un englez, un francez, sau orice alta natie am lua, nu-si va putea renega niciodata tara, chiar si daca ar vrea sa o faca... o va avea in sange si in suflet :)

Laughing mad: Certificate of future ownership of Epsilon Eridani b

2008-12-14T15:40:00.000-08:00

Do you want a "certificate of Future ownership, assuming that you and or an ancestor can take possession of" Epsilon Eridani b? Do you know that "No one owns space because no one has claimed it…. Yet!"? Then, visit e-bay, where you will learn, from capcan74, that, according to one Virgiliu Pop, author of "Who Owns the Moon?” - Extraterrestrial Aspects of Land and Mineral Resources Ownership" (Springer, 2008),

"Space is indeed a new frontier calling for individualism rather than collectivism, and its challenges need to be addressed with a legal regime favorable to property rights." and "Property rights are a useful engine and, in all likelihood, a precondition for pushing forward the development of the extraterrestrial realms".

Therefore,

"You have already missed out on the Moon, Mars is next to go. Are you going to leave your Ancestors out of the Final Frontiers land-rush! The United Nations has declared that celestial bodies may not be claimed by any Nation, but as an individual you can!"

Well, dear capcan74, if you knew any better, you'd read more about my stance on "unreal estate" and you'd know that space, and celestial bodies, have been claimed by countless individuals, city councils, and schools. You'd learn that homesteading the final frontier does not mean simply claiming a planet, and that my name should not be used as an endorsement of such empty claims.

As for your fear of "leaving your ancestors out of the final frontier", I have excellent news - Celestis provides excellent space funerals!

The Voloch Conspiracy: Property Rights on the Moon

2008-12-13T10:16:00.001-08:00

Ilya Somin, Assistant Professor of Law at the George Mason University, writes:
"Romanian space law scholar Virgiliu Pop ... is a strong supporter of private property rights. As Pop suggests, private property rights on the Moon would have many of the same benefits as here on Earth. They stimulate investment, innovation, and competition. Perhaps even more important, they prevent the wanton destruction and overuse of valuable resources through a tragedy of the commons. I previously made the case for private property rights in space ..., raising several points similar to Pop's arguments.
More here.

Softpedia: Property Rights for the Moon - Romanian scientist shares his thoughts on space laws

2008-12-13T10:05:00.000-08:00

Dan Talpariu, science editor at Softpedia, writes:
"[N]ot much thought has been given to the legal aspects linked to the ownership of the places we are exploring and will someday own. But a book written by a research specialist from the Romanian Space Agency, Virgiliu Pop, called "Who Owns the Moon? – Extraterrestrial Aspects of Land and Mineral Resources Ownership," plans to change that. He believes that future generations of legal representatives may have their hands full soon. ... In Pop's view, property rights are better than group ownership."

io9: Moon’s Future Lies in Frontier Homesteading, Not Collective Ownership

2008-12-12T12:15:00.000-08:00

Lauren Davis, from io9, has this to say:
According to a prominent researcher on the subject, lunar property rights should be strictly first come, first served.... The UN’s so-called Moon Treaty declares that the moon is part of mankind’s common heritage, and would ban ownership of any extraterrestrial party, but the treaty has never passed and has not been ratified by any nation with a space program. According to Virgiliu Pop, that’s all for the best, since the UN has the wrong idea. Pop is a Romanian space lawyer who has written extensively on the topic of lunar property. His latest book Who Owns the Moon? Extraterrestrial Aspects of Land and Mineral Resources, Pop explores the possibility of creating a legal framework for property and natural resources law on the moon. At the heart of this exploration is the notion that energetic individuals, rather than international coalitions, will need to claim property in order to advance the cause of extraterrestrial colonization. ... He also challenges the notion that homesteading will favor citizens of wealthy nations, whose public and private enterprises have the resources and technology to travel into space ... Pop’s ultimate concern is that, without the development of a legal framework for lunar property rights, the moon will remain largely undeveloped. But, with more and more private companies looking into space travel, it may be a necessary to establish rights for private systems simply to ensure that laws are in place before the first settlers stake their claims. If the international community can develop a cohesive and enforceable framework, it could help keep the lunar frontier from descending into the wild West.

Instapundit

2008-12-11T13:19:00.000-08:00

Glenn Reynolds, the famed Instapundit, directs his readers to "SOME THOUGHTS ON WHO OWNS THE MOON, from Virgiliu Pop. It’s a subject I’ve discussed myself."

Joins - Who Owns the Moon

2008-12-11T06:00:00.001-08:00

... and on Joins, a South Korean news portal.

Yahoo News: Who Owns the Moon?

2008-12-11T05:55:00.000-08:00

Leonard David's interview with me is now available on Yahoo News as well.

The Launch Pad - Who Owns the Moon?

2008-12-11T05:31:00.000-08:00

Jean Levasseur at "The Launch Pad", the blog of the famed X-prize, comments on the latest space.com interview: Our friend Leonard David, writer for Space.com, just posted an article to LiveScience about Who owns the Moon? http://www.livescience.com/space/081210-who-owns-moon.html This is obviously a very important question for the Google Lunar X PRIZE teams.

In Retrospect - Σε ποιον ανήκει το φεγγάρι

2008-12-11T05:23:00.000-08:00

Greece may be in political turmoil, but "In Retrospect", a Greek blog, debates the question of lunar ownership:
"Ο Virgiliu Pop είναι ένας ειδικός ερευνητής της Ρουμανικής Διαστημικής Υπηρεσίας. Εδώ και χρόνια εξετάζει τις νομικές παραμέτρους στον τομέα των δικαιωμάτων ιδιοκτησίας στο διάστημα και το νέο του βιβλίο με τίτλο «Who Owns the Moon? - Extraterrestrial Aspects of Land and Mineral Resources Ownership» (εκδόσεις Springer, 2008) κυκλοφόρησε τον περασμένο μήνα.
Ο Pop ερευνά τα στοιχεία που έχουν διαμορφώσει το νόμο της εξωγήινης ιδιοκτησίας και τους κανόνες που εκφράζουν αυτό το νόμο. Και κατά την άποψή του, οι συνθήκες και οι κανόνες που αφορούν στα δικαιώματα ιδιοκτησίας του γήινου κόσμου είναι κάπως περιορισμένα, αποτυγχάνοντας να καθορίσουν ακόμα και βασικά στοιχεία, όπως ο ορισμός του αστρικού σώματος."

Futurismic - The Lunar landgrab - who owns the Moon, anyway?

2008-12-11T05:03:00.001-08:00

From Paul Raven at Futurismic:
"Once we start colonising our sister satellite - whether in person or via robot proxies - how do we decide who the territory belongs to?
Luckily for us, one Virgiliu Pop is already on the case. He’s a research specialist at the Romanian Space Agency (Romania has a space agency? Who knew?) who has been looking into the laws that might, by precedent, affect lunar settlements… and he reckons it’s rugged individualism and the pioneer spirit that will win the day:
“Homesteading is likely to transform the lunar desert in the same manner as it transformed the 19th Century United States,” he said. “Space is indeed a new frontier calling for individualism rather than collectivism, and its challenges need to be addressed with a legal regime favorable to property rights.”
As many empires have learned the hard way, maintaining control over distant colonies is no easy trick - and when the colony is at the other end of a steep gravity well, that’s only going to be more true. Anyone fancy a sweepstake on the period between first Lunar colony and first colonial secession?"

Spaceports - Virgiliu Pop: Who Owns The Moon

2008-12-10T17:33:00.000-08:00

From Spaceports, Jack Kennedy's space blog:
Romanian lawyer Virgiliu Pop has a new book entitled Who Owns the Moon?: Extraterrestrial Aspects of Land and Mineral Resources Ownership now available via Amazon.com.
The author's work investigates the permissibility and viability of property rights on the celestial bodies, particularly the extraterrestrial aspects of land and mineral resources ownership. In lay terms, it aims to find an answer to the question "Who owns the Moon?"
Leonard David provides more about Pop's latest book with an article in Space.com today. This Blogger ordered the book yesterday after reading his first space property rights book Unreal Estate - The Men who Sold the Moon in 2007.

The Technology Liberation Front - "Who Owns the Moon"?

2008-12-10T11:28:00.000-08:00

Berin Szoka, a libertarian space lawyer and friend of mine, comments on the space.com story just in, and on my new book:

"My Romanian space lawyer (and improbably-named) friend Virgiliu Pop has made the front page of Space.com today in a great interview with leading space journalist Leonard David about his new book Who Owns the Moon?: Extraterrestrial Aspects of Land and Mineral Resources Ownership. Virgil slams the “Common Heritage of Mankind” socialism behind the 1979 Moon Treaty, which was killed in the U.S. Senate by the free-market space movement, which later gave birth to the Space Frontier Foundation (which I chair).
Virgil once famously claimed ownership of the sun to demonstrate the absurdity of serious assertions made by a number of charlatans to ownership of lunar territory (Dennis Hope) or the entire Eros asteroid (Greg Nemitz). Virgil’s point was “to show how ridiculous a property rights system in outer space would be if it were to be based solely on claim unsubstantiated by any actual possession.”
I’m looking forward to reading Virgil’s book–and to writing a proper review. For now, I’ll just say that I think Virgil and I see eye-to-eye (something of a rarity among space lawyers on the ultra-contentious issue of property rights):
1. The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 prohibits nations from approriating territory in space and also prohibits individuals from asserting any territorial claims (generall accepted) except to a narrowly-limited area under actual use (not accepted by all space lawyers).
2. The Outer Space Treaty, properly understood, does not bar claims to ownership of movable objects such as extracted resources or even (if they can be moved in a meanginful way) entire asteroids or comets.
3. Securing such property rights is essential to the economic development of space."
More here

Space.com - "Who Owns the Moon?"

2008-12-10T11:10:00.000-08:00

I am interviewed by the famed space journalist Leonard David for the front page of space.com:

Virgiliu Pop is a research specialist at the Romanian Space Agency. He has for years been keeping a legal eye on the area of space property rights, and his new book, "Who Owns the Moon? - Extraterrestrial Aspects of Land and Mineral Resources Ownership" (Springer, 2008) was published this month.
Pop has been delving into what has shaped the law of extraterrestrial real estate, and the norms which express this law. ... Pop favors property rights over group hugs.
"Despite the noble ideals of equity and care for the have-nots, the Common Heritage paradigm of the Moon Treaty has more faults than merits," Pop told SPACE.com.
"A refutation of the Common Heritage principle does not mean, however, that the developing world will, or should, be left behind in the space era," he said. "China, India and Brazil are living proofs that a developing country can, through its own effort, join the spacefaring club. Instead of freeloading on the efforts of the older spacefarers, the have-nots should pool their meager financial resources into a common space agency or into regional ones, and proceed at exploiting the riches of outer space for themselves."

More here

Lunar Enterprise Daily

2008-12-09T17:56:00.000-08:00

From the Lunar Enterprise Daily:

Vote Mihai Leu ... or else ...

2008-11-20T10:01:00.000-08:00

In the United States, the rappers' message was clear: vote or die! In Romania, Mihai Leu, boxing champion and candidate for the Romanian Parliament - Deva circumscription - is not as menacing: "Choose well! You vote for yourself!". The effect is less mild - as seen from this photo:

I shall not vote - and this is why

2008-11-17T13:18:00.000-08:00

It is now official - the aim of the political parties in Romania is to gain power for the sake of power. They call it "ciolan" in Romanian - "the bone". They are all the same - across the political spectrum, they lack dignity, they lack a back bone (speaking of bones), and they would do anything for a vote. I felt sick when, a few months ago, the PSD recruited Adrian Copilul Minune as one of their candidates. I said: OK, they are the left wing, it is normal to appeal to those Romanians who listen to manele. I thought the so-called right, or center-right, is ... different. Well, until today:

I had my doubts before whether I would vote or not. I had the PD-L in my mind as being the least distant to my ideas. Now, I am 100% certain I shall not vote - even for them.

A lovely evening

2008-11-16T13:28:00.000-08:00

The recipe for a lovely evening: take one Monica, a kilo of shrimps, Tom Yum paste, coconut milk, eggs, some chicken, noodles, rice, lots of chillies, one piece of Florin, one piece of Cristina, and a telescope. Cook one litre of Tom Yum soup, several portions of chicken korma (curry with coconut milk), and Chinese noodles with seafood. Forgive Florin and Cristina for not eating some of the food for being too hot (chilly-wise), and Monica for letting the food to cool down for being too hot (temperature-wise). Open the window, look for the moon, and ask Florin to mount the telescope. Let the girls have some girlie talk about mobile phones sales, and help florin with the telescope handbook. Serve, as the desert, some caramel-flavoured Roiboos tea.

"Actual Vest", Timisoara, 2008.11.03

2008-11-03T13:21:00.000-08:00

"Cap de Afis" with Simona Pele, Radio Timisoara

2008-10-31T12:22:00.000-07:00

Radio Timisoara's Simona Pele has me as a guest to "Cap de afis", where she interviews me about space tourism, the World Space Week, and scuba diving.

"Ceasul Bun" on Analog TV Timisoara

2008-10-25T02:34:00.000-07:00

Andreea Medinschi-Niculescu, the lovely host of "Ceasul Bun", interviews me for Analog TV Timisoara (in Romanian)

"Agenda Zilei", Timisoara, 23.10.2008

2008-10-23T16:26:00.000-07:00

"Adevarul de Seara", Timisoara, 22.10.2008

2008-10-22T23:59:00.000-07:00

"Timis Expres", Timisoara, 22.10.2008

2008-10-22T16:31:00.000-07:00

Cambodgia, câmpurile morţii şi celulele de tortură

2008-10-20T21:49:00.000-07:00

COMUNICAT - INVITAŢIE: Cambodgia, câmpurile morţii şi celulele de tortură
Un cercetător la Agenţia Spaţială Română, cu un protest inedit îndreptat împotriva americanului îmbogăţit prin vânzarea unor parcele pe Lună, va expune la librăria Cărtureşti din Iulius Mall fotografii ... din Cambodgia. Alegerea spaţiului capturat de fotografie vine dintr-o prezenţă în acel loc: „Nu am fost încă pe lună, pe soare, în cosmos”, explică Virgiliu Pop. Fotografia sa e cea a unui călător obişnuit, cu valoare de jurnal şi istorică, situată undeva la mijlocul distanţei între fotografia de presă şi cea artistică. Văzute ca „o fereastră format A4 într-o altă regiune a spaţiului”, pozele lui Virgiliu Pop se bazează pe senzaţie, întâmplare, raţiune, mai mult decât pe-o anumită tehnică în fotografie. Expoziţia „Cambodgia - lumini şi umbre” va ajunge în Cărtureşti pe 22 octombrie(cu vernisaj la ora 18) şi va rămâne acolo până în 5 noiembrie. „Din respect pentru nenumăratele victime ale comunismului, m-am simţit dator să fotografiez câmpurile morţii şi celulele de tortură, unde unii oameni au fost ucişi doar pentru că aveau ochelari, aşadar ştiau să citească, aşadar erau duşmani de clasă”, argumentează Virgiliu Pop partea întunecată a expoziţiei. Nu a avut niciun şoc cultural în Cambodgia, poate doar unul culinar: „Am fost pregătit inclusiv să întâlnesc vânzătoare ambulante de păianjeni prăjiţi. Nu am fost însă pregătit să îi consum”. În fotografie se poziţionează ca simplu observator, nimic mai mult, aşa cum în cercetare e un tânăr briliant, cu un doctorat scoţian în derulare sub titlul „Cui aparţine luna? Aspecte extraterestre ale dreptului de proprietate funciar şi mineral”. Cosmin Lungu - PR&events manager Cărtureşti

World Space Week in Bucovat

2008-10-07T13:40:00.001-07:00

Ever since 1999, the world celebrates the Space Week between October 4-10. This year, the School in Bucovat, a village near Timisoara, hosted a "Planets Game".

Nitchidorf: World's Shortest Kilometre

2008-10-04T14:59:00.000-07:00

Nitchidorf, in the Banat countryside, either has a kilometre-wide road, or a road-wide kilometre:

Celebration of German Reunification

2008-10-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Astrid invited me to accompany her to the Opera, where the German Consulate would celebrate the "Tag Der Deutschen Einheit", that is, the German Reunification Day. It was not the first time I would attend this yearly celebration - so I knew Herr Maruhn, the General Consul of Germany in Timisoara would organize an excellent event.
We arrived at the Opera, where we were greeted by the Consul and by Susanne Karstner, Vice-President of the Bundestag. We then proceeded to the Opera Hall, where representatives from several authorities - German and Romanian - spoke about the German Reunification and about the excellent relationship between the two countries. Unfortunately, whereas Germans have found their unity, Romania is still divided in two countries. None of the speakers mentioned this.

It is customary for the German Consulate in Timisoara to hire every October 2nd the Timisoara Opera - not only the location but also the performers - and offer a show with arias from operas and operettas. This year's programme included arias from the works of Strauss, Kalman (Sylvia), Loewe (My Fair Lady), Lehar (The Merry Widow), Rossini (The Barber of Seville), and Puccini (Turandot).

Having just returned from Egypt, I was delighted to see a ballet on music from Verdi's Aida.

After the show, we headed to the foyer, where we had a reception, and a nice chat with other guests and even with some of the performers, like Cristian Rudic.

Saint Catherine Monastery

2008-09-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

When we came back from the mountain, we gathered for a short break by the Saint Catherine’s Monastery, still closed for visitors at that early hours of the morning, and we went to a local restaurant for a not so tasty breakfast. We then returned to the Monastery.

Saint Catherine’s Monastery lies at the foot of Mount Sinai and, according to the all-wise Wikipedia, is one of the oldest continuously functioning Christian monasteries in the world. Its patronal feast is the Transfiguration.

The monastery is Greek Orthodox and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and, along with several dependencies in the area, it constitute the entire Orthodox Church of Mount Sinai - headed by an archbishop, who is also the abbot of the monastery. The monastery was built by order of Emperor Justinian I between 527 and 565, enclosing the Chapel of the Burning Bush ordered to be built by Helena, the mother of Constantine I, at the site where Moses saw the burning bush; the living bush on the grounds is purportedly the original (being, therefore, at least 5000 years old).

The site is sacred to Christianity and Islam. Catherine of Alexandria was a Christian martyr initially sentenced to death on the wheel. However, when this failed to kill her, she was beheaded. According to tradition, angels took her remains to Mount Sinai. Around the year 800, monks from the Sinai Monastery found her remains. According to the Charter of Privileges, a document purportedly signed by Muhammad himself, Muhammad gave his protection to the monastery. A Fatimid mosque was built within its walls, but has never been used since it is not correctly oriented towards Mecca.

During the seventh century, the isolated Christian anchorites of the Sinai were eliminated: only the fortified monastery remained. The site is still surrounded by the massive fortifications that have preserved it. Until the twentieth century, access was through a door high in the outer walls.

The monastery library preserves the second largest collection of early codices and manuscripts in the world, outnumbered only by the Vatican Library; this library cannot be visited by ordinary tourists and pilgrims, hence we had to limit ourselves to visiting the Church (completed in 551), Moses’ Well (where he first met his wife), the Burning Bush, and the Ossuary (containing the skulls of 1400 years' worth of monks who have lived and died here) – a stern reminder of our mortality.

As any monastery (Christian or Buddhist alike), Saint Cathrine is populated by a colony of cats.

I lit a couple of candles in the church and prayed by the burning bush; what I prayed for, stays between God and I.

We then headed for the bus, and I was back in my hotel room at 2:30 PM – as promised by the guide.

Climbing Mount Sinai

2008-09-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Before I came to Egypt, I did some research as to the local trips available while in Sharm el Sheikh. I chose the excursion to Mount Sinai, to be followed by a day trip to Jerusalem.
The bus picked me at 9:45 PM, then it went on to collect the other pilgrims: a Polish man, several Russian youngsters, two Coptic Egyptian couples (Egypt being home to a large number of indigenous Christians), and an American couple. The young American lady, married to a Microsoft accountant, has Romanian roots (her maternal grandparents being from Marghita and Alibunar, in the Serbian Banat) and understands Romanian – despite being born in the USA. After more than three hours of driving and security stops (we even had our passports checked twice at road blocks, and we stopped for five minutes at … Café Buddha), we arrived at the foot of the mountain. That Bedouin café, in the middle of the desert, has a very odd name for its location – Mount Sinai is sacred to Christianity, Islam and Judaism, yet I do not know about it being sacred to Buddhism.

Should this very mountain (and not another one) be sacred at all? Many scholars, cited by Wikipedia, do not think so: “According to Bedouin tradition, this is the mountain where God gave laws to the Israelites. However, the earliest Christian traditions place this event at the nearby Mount Serbal, and a monastery was founded at its base in the 4th century; it was only in the 6th century that the monastery moved to the foot of Mount Catherine, following the guidance of Josephus's earlier claim that Sinai was the highest mountain in the area. Jebel Musa, which is adjacent to Mount Catherine, was only equated with Sinai, by Christians, after the 15th century. Also, for Muslims, there is a chapter named after this mountain in the Quran, entitled, Surah-Tin; surah/chapter 95 in which God promises by the fig, the olive, by the Mount Sinai and the city of Makkah”.
When we arrived, it was quite late, due to the roadblocks, so we had to climb in haste. The foot of the mountain lies at 1200 meters above sea level, and the summit at 2285 meters – higher than the highest peak in Romania – that is, one kilometer straight up. When we got down from the bus, we felt the temperature difference between Sharm el Sheikh and the desert – it will get even colder on the peak – so we put some warm clothes on, and I swapped my sandals for closed hoes – a wise idea. The guide gave us flashlights, named our group “Zizu”, and off we went into the night.
As somebody working in the space research field, I have to confess – I have NEVER seen such a wonderful night sky. We were literally in the middle of the desert, with no light pollution around – so the sky we saw cannot be described – it has to be experienced first hand.
On the road up, there were plenty of Bedouins offering us to take us up on camel – for 10 euros. At first, I was brave and I passed; then, I decided it may be a good idea, as I never rode a camel. While in Giza a week ago, I did not think that riding a camel for a 10-minutes photo-op was a good idea, at 12 euros. Now, I would use a camel for actual transportation, for a longer time and at a lower price. Climbing the mountain on camel back, looking up to the star-pointed sky and listening to the silence proved to be an amazing experience.

At 4:30 am, we arrived at a place where one would have to go up on foot, as the road was too steep and narrow for camels. So I paid the Bedouin the 10 euros (one hundredth of the price of an actual camel) and off I went on foot for the reminder of the distance. I arrived at the summit half an hour later. The sun was preparing to rise.

The sun rose at 5:30, and, as promised, it proved to be the most beautiful sunrise I ever saw.

The summit of the mountain has a Greek Orthodox chapel (which was constructed in 1934 on the ruins of a 16th century church) and a mosque neither of which are open to the public. The chapel supposedly encloses the rock from which God made the Tablets of the Law. At the summit also is "Moses' cave" where Moses is supposed to have waited to receive the Ten Commandments.

The summit was swarming with pilgrims – including Romanians from other groups, Russians, Poles and many others. A Pole priest administered the Holy Communion to his flock.

Speaking of Romanians, many have arrived here before. I knew this in an unfortunate way – they left their mark.

At 6 we headed down, and for a moment I though I was in Machu Pichu, as I bumped into two Inca girls.

On the road back, I felt once again on planet Mars – though there are no camels there (yet).

We finally arrived at the foot of the mountain at 7:50 AM – the hike down lasted for almost two hours.

World’s best office

2008-09-23T02:33:00.000-07:00

I may be in Egypt for holidays, but with the World Space Week knocking on the door, I still have work duties to attend. Working during a vacation has its advantages too: I get to use the best office in the world. You may ask whether the pool is tempting me; well, not really – I spent enough time on its bottom during my first two PADI Open Water days!

Diving in Coral Bay, Sharm-El-Sheikh

2008-09-22T02:02:00.000-07:00

PADI Open Water Day 4: Exam, and an eventful day

2008-09-22T02:00:00.000-07:00

Last evening, Mohamed Sammy told me to be at the diving center at 7:30 in the morning, so I had an early breakfast (fortunately, the restaurant opens at 7:00). We then headed for the Sharks Bay –after collecting Bianca and a British diver, Charlotte - where we boarded the Sodfa, a diving boat, after passing security. The corals in the Sharks Bay – a few meters from the shore – were full of life.

We stopped by the wreck of Lullia – a Soviet ship who fell victim to the drunkedness of its crew in 1981, then we snorkeled – a good opportunity for me to practice my frog kick.

We had the first boat dive at 9:30 am – 37 minutes at the depth of 6 meters, where we practiced several skills (mask flooding and clearing, CESA, buddy breathing, etc), then we went back to the boat where I continued my study of the tables. Lacking a mathematical brain, I found the diving tables quite difficult – but not impossible, so eventually I mastered them. At 2 PM we had our final dive for the PADI Open Water course – and what a dive it was! We went down to 18 meters (the maximum depth for an Open Water diver) and we had fun … the sea was teeming with “life aquatic”, as Steve Zissou would say. I managed to snap some photos – my first underwater pics – but as I only have an underwater film camera, they have to be processed and then scanned. Hopefully, I will buy a digital camera with underwater casing. When surfacing, I checked my mobile phone and, alas, I had 9 missed calls and an SMS from a colleague of my dad, urging me to call my dad immediately! Fearing the worst, I called dad on his mobile – with no result – and then I called home – where nobody answered. I was scared, believing something horrible had happened, so I called Tecu, my dad’s colleague, to learn that a Romanian has been kidnapped in Egypt and dad was afraid that I may be him! If I had my sense of humor with me at that time, I would have told Tecu that it is true, and that the kidnappers want Shushu in exchange…

We then headed back to Sharks Bay, then to the diving center, stopping in the desert for a short photo-op. The Sinai desert is amazing as it looks strikingly similar to planet Mars.

When we arrived at the diving center, we went to the classroom for the final section, we did some table calculations, then we had the final exam. In the middle of the exam, we heard a strong noise – and we run in front of the hotel, where two cars knocked into eachothers. Fortunately, the guys were allright. Returning to the classroom for the exam, we continued with the questionnaire and, after submitting it, I got my final mark – 90%. I am a Padi Open Water diver now – or, as I like to call a diver – an aquanaut. I then got my dive logbook for a rather inflated price, and had it stamped. All in all, these four very intensive days were my favorite school ever. We had a lot of fun, but the PADI Open Water course is no joke, the instructor was very serious, and I can recommend him to everybody.

PADI Open Water Day 3: Water, cats, and pasta

2008-09-21T02:37:00.000-07:00

Five-star resorts are luxurious and exclusive, but hotels with a lower rating have their advantages – one of these being that they have pets:
I woke up at 8, then we headed towards Bianca’s hotel, we collected her and off we went to the Sharks Bay, where we had our first shore dive into the sea, not before meeti ng some German divers and another cat. We had an endurance floating test, then we practiced the tired diver’s tow, then off we went at 12 meters under water for 35 minutes, surfacing at 10:35. The second shore dive was at 12:00 for 50 minutes, at the same depth of 12 meters. We practiced a lot of skills until Tito, the instructor, was pleased with our performances. We headed back to the diving center for a classroom session, then I had dinner:

PADI Open Water 2: Pool dives and barbecue

2008-09-20T02:38:00.000-07:00

The second day in the PADI Open Water course would comprise pool dives and a classroom session. Bianca, my classmate, arrived from her hotel, and started her day with a nice rest. When Tito arrived, we headed to the pool, where we had several dives, totaling 150 minutes. The dives were great, but they were not fun dives – we learnt a lot of skills while practicing them. The pool had a sign: no diving – but this did not refer to scuba diving. After a classroom session and an afternoon sleep, I went to the hotel restaurant (I am here on a half-board base: brekfast and dinner) where I had the best mutton barbecue ever.

PADI Open Water, day 1: Vacation in the classroom

2008-09-19T18:54:00.000-07:00

I woke up at 8, dreaming that I was visiting Jerusalem, and that the nearby river (not the Jordan river, mind you, but the Olt) was flooding. In the dream, I was trying to run away in a battered Dacia 1300 car. It’s strange how the human mind works. I woke up with a runny nose, so I took an ‘Airwaves’ drop, hoping I won’t have my Eustachian tubes clogged. A diver fears more the common cold, than sharks or manta rays; indeed, whereas one can easily survive with a cold on the ground, it makes equalizing the ear pressure a very difficult – sometimes impossible – task. And burst eardrums are no fun.
At 9:45, Bianca – my diving buddy – arrived from her hotel. Mohammed, the diving shop manager, took us to the pool and gave us a swimming test – 7 pool laps, and swimming uninterruptedly for five minutes. Then we met Tito, the diving instructor. We started with the theory – including viewing a DVD. We learnt about the diving equipment, then we had a lunch break. When we returned, we spent some time with my old friend – that is, bureaucracy (filling in the student file) and then we learnt several diving skills, which sounded quite difficult at first, but then we moved to the pool and we did several dives where we practiced these skills (assembling and sisassembling the equipment, clearing the mask underwater, snorkeling, equalizing, using the spare mouthpiece, neutral buoyancy, inflating the BCD with the mouth). We finished at 6 PM, when Tito – who was fasting for the Ramadan – finally got to eat.
It’s 7 PM now, and the Muezeen is calling people to prayer. Although my religion does not compel me to fast during Ramadan, the restaurant here opens only at 7:30 for the evening meal – so I have no choice but to wait.

Tropicana Tivoli, Sharm El Sheikh

2008-09-18T12:54:00.001-07:00

The Pyramids and the Sphynx

2008-09-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

Ever since I was a kid, I was fascinated by the pyramids. When I had the flu, my mom used to give me "piramidon" - a bitter medicine which I tought was made in the pyramids after an old recipe from Keops' time. So here I am, at the oldest anti-flu medicine factory!

Cairo, Zoser Hotel

2008-09-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

We (that is, the Timisoara group) arrived in Cairo after a 4-hour stop over in Bucharest, and we immediately checked in at the Zoser Hotel, where we would spend the night.

Egypt: T- a few hours

2008-09-16T06:47:00.000-07:00

Here I am, on the road again, this time to Egypt. I am trying to escape a cold, cold autumn (it's 11 celsius degrees in Timisoara, about 8 degrees less than what would be normal for this time of the year) and head for the summer. There's one thing I learnt from Arabic history: if the mountain does not come to Mohammed, then let Mohammed go to the mountain. So, instead of waiting for the summer, I chase it. In Sharm-el-Sheikh, my main destination, there are 34 degrees centigrade ... 23 degrees more than in Timisoara. It won't be a shock; the shock will be two weeks later, when I will return. Though, I remember coming from Finland one other september, in 1994, and wondering whether Budapest was Kigali, due to its tropical (at that time) weather. Meanwhile, I snapped a pic of Traian Vuia's airplane from my seat in the Timisoara Airport waiting area, sent it via bluetooth to the laptop, and then via wireless internet, publish it here. Technology ...

Shushu gets a haircut

2008-09-02T13:25:00.000-07:00

Cats do not get to vote. At least, not in Romania. At least, not when it comes to fur-related matters. Therefore, because the weather is still hot, and because Shushu leaves a lot of hairs on the carpets, it has been decided - against her will but for the common good - that she ought to visit the stylist. So we booked her a blind date with the lady-that-gives-haircuts-to-cats, and off she went in her odissey to the Iliada saloon. What follows, is a chronicle of her tribulations:

Cambodia: Lights and Shadows

2008-09-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

I want to break free

2008-08-31T06:17:00.001-07:00

Today, my friend Astrid told me, on Yahoo messenger, that she is going home to, literally, "eat littles". To an unaccustomed ear, this may sound odd; yet, a person with the sense of humour who also speaks Romanian language, will know that she went home to eat "mici", or "mititei" - literally, "littles". These are sausage-shaped hamburgers one would eat with mustard and bread, and water them down with beer. They are called "littles" most likely in the same spirit as the Spanish "bocadillas". The history of the "littles" reminded me of my childhood, when my sister and I were trying to translate Romanian expressions as "word by word" as possible and - consequently - as out of context as possible. "Bataie de joc" was being translated as "beating of game"; "L-a facut cu ou si otet" turned into "he made him with egg and vinegar"; "si-a dat arama pe fata" into "he gave his copper on the face". The opposite was valid, too; sometimes in the early 1990's, Divertis - a popular humour group - translated Queen's song, "I want to break free" into Romanian: "Eu vreau sa sparg liber", i.e., "I want to break things in a free manner". Well, here is a great list of song titles translated into Romanian:
Pretty fly for a white guy - O musca draguta pentru un tip alb
take a bow- ia un arc
Sugar, we're going down swinging - Zahar, ne ducem in jos balansandu-ne
Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough For The Two Of Us - Miere, oglinda asta nu e destul de mare pentru noi doi
Scar tissue - Servetelul cicatrice
Champagne Super Nova - Dacia supernova cu motor pe sampanie

Chicken Kiev

2008-08-30T06:26:00.000-07:00

As a student in Glasgow, I used to buy frozen Chicken Kiev from Iceland/Safeway/Farmfoods, and pop it into the oven. Today, I was pondering between flying to Glasgow and buying some frozen food, and cooking my own chicken kiev. In the absence of a personal jet plane, I settled for the latter option. So, I took four chicken breast filets, I cut them lenghtwise, I filled them with a mixture of garlic, parsley, butter, olive oil and salt, I wrapped them into thin ham, I grilled them for two minutes, and off they went into the oven for a bit longer. I cut some potatoes into cubes, and I prepared a salad of tomatoes and ready-made Remoulade sauce. The result:

Fiat Barchetta or Opel Tigra Twintop?

2008-08-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

Today I had my fifth driving lesson. As they say, "practice like practice, but theory is what kills you". Or, was it the other way? Anyway, the percentage of Romanians who get their driving license is, nowadays, about 20%. Not of Romanians, but of those who sit the exam. While I am against letting all the "daddy's boys" run wild on the streets driving 4X4's, I still think 20% is too little. We'll live and see - and, by the way, one needn't pass the exam the first time one sits it.
Anyway, a few days ago, I went to the Mall and I was "introduced" to an Opel Tigra Twin Top:

Then, as any good researcher, I went home and, on the net, I found this jewel: a Fiat Barchetta:

So, dear Santa: I've been a good boy, and I haven't terrorized little kittnens. OK, I allowed Shushu to be neutered, but I hope you'll forgive me for this. So, please, can I have my driving license and one of these two cars?

Mens sana in corpore sano

2008-08-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

As a 10 year old boy, I used to go swimming in the Olympic pool of Baia Mare. When I moved back to Miercurea Ciuc, my sports life came to a halt. I never fancied team sports - and in Miercurea Ciuc, hockey was the king, followed by football. I never had a "thing" for ball (or puck) games. I would have loved to run, but the climate in the Harghita county was unfavorable. I tried judo, but one day I almost dislocated my partner's arm (unwillingly), so I gave up.
It is a shame that, at that time, fitness and bodybuilding were not popular in Romania. Because, since I started going to the gym, I realised this sport fits me like a glove. I don't need talent (as one would nbeed for football), I only need time, and will. It is interesting that, at the same time with the body, one builds one's will too.
A few months ago, when I, too, got upset by the shape of my belly, I said: Enough is enough. I shall no more a be couch potato. So, I found this gym nearby (Iguana Fitness Club), and, little by little, I started to live this way of life.
I started on the wrong path - by doing strength exercises - so, while my muscles no longer looked like those of a professional chess player, my belly grew too. This, until I was told that, instead of pumping iron, I had to combine it with cardio.
In the time since I begun going to the gym, I realized this is not a fad, but the revival of the Roman way of living - "Mens sana in corpore sano". I went down from 88to 80 kilos, and I am on the way of building my body at the same pace I am building my will to do so. So, to all the coach potatoes: it's never too late for sport.

PS - watching football does not qualify as a sport.
PPS - my favourite cardio machine is the cross-trainer. It's like walking on the air. By the way, did I ever tell you how I won the second prize at ski, when I was a kid? I will, soon, and back-date it; so check the 1980's archive!

A fan from Cluj

2008-08-22T10:50:00.001-07:00

July, a fan from Cluj, sent me these photos of herself and of my pics at the Carturesti bookshop:

Carturesti Cluj: "Cambodia - Light and Shadows"

2008-08-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Cosmin Lungu, the organizer of my exhibition, here are two pics from "Cambodia: Lights and Shadows" in Cluj:

They've got it all wrong!

2008-08-21T02:39:00.000-07:00

Re: my expo in Cluj. This is what the press release from Carturesti says:

"The Cluj/Carturesti bookshop presents - Space and time in Cambodia: A researcher at the Romanian Space Agency, with an unusual protest against the American enriched by selling Lunar plots, will exchibit, at the Iulius Mall - Cluj, Carturesti Bookshop, photos ... from Cambodia".

Clujeanul (http://www.clujeanul.ro/cultura-timp-liber/fotografii-din-cambodgia-vor-fi-expuse-la-carturesti-2938875) understands the difference between the two issues: "The author of the images is Virgiliu Pop, researcher at the Romanian Space Agency, known especially for his protest against the American who sold plots on the Moon. This time, the astronomer Virgiliu Pop turns into an observer of the Cambodian reality".

OK, they made me an astronomer, which I am not. Meanwhile...

Cartepremium.ro (http://www.cartepremium.ro/noutati/136/In-Cambodgia-se-moare-pe-Luna-se-cumpara.html) reads: "A researcher from the Romanian Space Agency will exchibit photos at the Carturesti bookshop in Iulius Mall, Cluj Napoca, as an unusual protest against the American enriched by selling Lunar plots."

(photo: Alexandra Pipas)
CityNews (http://www.citynews.ro/Protest-in-fotografii-la-libraria-Carturesti+16003) says: :"The artist displays photos from Cambodia as a protest against the American enriched from selling Moon plots"

Once and for all: Yes, I am known for my protest against Dennis Hope. But the photo exchibition is not against Dennis Hope. If it needs to be a protest, it is against the Khmer Rouge, who killed innocent people - and not against the "Lunar Embassy".

Ieseanul: "Biletul de 200.000 de dolari"

2008-08-18T02:26:00.000-07:00

Gabriel Andronache, from the "Ieseanul" weekly, interviewed me for a space tourism article (http://www.ieseanul.ro/saptamanal/biletul-de-200-000-de-dolari-2934572):

Susţinere ştiinţifică
Virgiliu Pop, expert în drept spaţial şi membru al Agenţiei Spaţiale Române, are încredere în optimismul lui Branson: „Tehnologia pentru zboruri suborbitale există, fiind testată prin SpaceShipOne, prima rachetă privată cu echipaj uman, iar la ora actuală se construieşte o mică flotă bazată pe această tehnologie. Deja nu mai vorbim de science-fiction, ci e ca şi cum am vorbi despre un nou model de automobil aflat în construcţie“, spune Pop.
În privinţa eventualelor probleme ale unei călătorii spaţiale, Virgiliu Pop consideră că aparatele de zbor extraatmosferic sunt proiectate avându-se în vedere minimizarea riscurilor. „Cei cinci miliardari care au deschis drumul turismului spaţial pricep foarte mult din ceea ce văd. Sunt persoane inteligente, pasionate de explorarea spaţiului - de fapt, sunt nişte împătimiţi ai spaţiului, care au avut şansa de a-şi permite, financiar, o vizită în afara atmosferei terestre“, concluzionează Pop."

Driving Lesson, 2.0

2008-08-18T01:24:00.000-07:00

I just returned from my first driving lesson. Actually, my first driving lesson after five years. Yes, it's true: I am 34, and I am yet to obtain that pink, credit-card sized document. I have heard that in Alabama, not having a driving license by this age carries a hefty punishment.
The instructor is the same as a few years ago, Virgil (yes, we have the same name). The car is different, though; it was a 30-year old Dacia 1300 back then; now, it's a Matiz. From what I remember, the difference between the two is quite thew same as between Windows 3.1 and Windows 98. I'd rather have an XP, though (that is, a car with automatic transmission).

Warning: Tomorrow, between 8-10 AM, I will be driving in Timisoara. Please stay inside..

Urban legend: Cats and glassware get along

2008-08-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

I live a rather TV-free life, but when I do watch TV, I tune in to "Discovery Channel". One of my favourite shows is Mythbusters, where two daredevils prove or disprove (bust) several urban myths. Unfortunately, I have never seen them dealing with the most common urban legend, stating that cats and glassware get along like the horse and carriage. Well, today, Shushu -

was posessed by Adam Savage's spirit (it's strange to be posessed by the spirit of a living being), and decided that she needs to do some experimenting. The result:

Myth BUSTED, together with a glass lid. Well done, Shushu.

Lunar eclipse

2008-08-17T00:05:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Romania and other parts of the world witnessed a partial lunar eclipse (80%). From Wikipedia:
A partial lunar eclipse will take place on August 16, 2008, the second of two lunar eclipses in 2008, with the first being a total eclipse on February 20, 2008. The next lunar eclipse will be a penumbral eclipse occurring on February 9, 2009, while the next total lunar eclipse will occur on December 21, 2010. The penumbral eclipse will begin at 18:23 UTC, with the partial eclipse beginning at 19:36. The time of greatest eclipse is 21:10. The partial eclipse will end at 22:44, and the penumbral eclipse will finally at 23:57"

On the above thumbnail, the Moon is quite inconspicuous; seeing the pic at full resolution helps

First pics with Sony Ericsson Cybershot k810i

2008-08-16T02:29:00.000-07:00

Of men and their toys

2008-08-15T23:34:00.000-07:00

For a couple of hours now, I am the proud owner of a Sony Ericsson K810i mobile phone (89 euros, with a 2-year Orange subscription). What attracted me to it was its 2.3 megapixel camera. Here is how its manufacturer praises it:
"With Photo fix, you have that extra, magical dark room touch. Adjust light balance, brightness and contrast in one go, and see your good shots turn great. The 3.2-megapixel camera comes packed with features. Get sharp with auto focus. And don't let poor lighting worry you: use the Xenon flash."

Many reviewers find it outstanding; as for me, we'll live and see. Up to now, I tried the camera - pretty decent photos, that is, excellent for a mobile phone but so-and-so for a digital camera. What is good, is that I will have, from now on, a camera always at hand.

The "Carturesti" bookshop - Cluj presents "Space and Time in Cambodia"

2008-08-13T17:06:00.000-07:00

As one can see from my older posts, I took a lot of pics while in South-East Asia. I had no other intention, at that time, except to seize the moment. Having seen them, my family and friends encouraged me to gather them in an exchibition. I hate fake modesty, but I have to confess that I should be the last person to be praised for these pics; in fact, any person can photograph beauty and suffering. Here is the press release from the Carturesti bookshop:

"Librăria Cărtureşti Cluj prezintă – Spaţiu şi timp în Cambodgia:
Un cercetător la Agenţia Spaţială Română, cu un protest inedit îndreptat împotriva americanului îmbogăţit prin vânzarea unor parcele pe Lună, va expune la librăria Cărtureşti din Iulius Mall Cluj fotografii … din Cambodgia. Alegerea spaţiului capturat de fotografie vine dintr-o prezenţă în acel loc: „Nu am fost încă pe lună, pe soare, în cosmos”, explică Virgiliu Pop. Fotografia sa e cea a unui călător obişnuit, cu valoare de jurnal şi istorică, situată undeva la mijlocul distanţei între fotografia de presă şi cea artistică. Văzute ca „o fereastră format A4 într-o altă regiune a spaţiului”, pozele lui Virgiliu Pop se bazează pe senzaţie, întâmplare, raţiune, mai mult decât pe-o anumită tehnică în fotografie. Expoziţia „Cambodgia - lumini şi umbre” va ajunge în Cărtureşti pe 20 august şi va rămâne acolo până în 9 septembrie.
„Din respect pentru nenumăratele victime ale comunismului, m-am simţit dator să fotografiez câmpurile morţii şi celulele de tortură, unde unii oameni au fost ucişi doar pentru că aveau ochelari, aşadar ştiau să citească, aşadar erau duşmani de clasă”, argumentează Virgiliu Pop partea întunecată a expoziţiei. Nu a avut niciun şoc cultural în Cambodgia, poate doar unul culinar: „Am fost pregatit inclusiv să întâlnesc vânzătoare ambulante de păianjeni prăjiţi. Nu am fost însă pregătit să îi consum”. În fotografie se poziţionează ca simplu observator, nimic mai mult, aşa cum în cercetare e un tânăr briliant, cu un doctorat scoţian în derulare sub titlul „Cui aparţine luna? Aspecte extraterestre ale dreptului de proprietate funciar şi mineral”. În luna octombrie, acelaşi Virgiliu Pop va veni din nou în Cărtureşti pentru o dezbatere despre nebunia cumpărării pe bucăţi a Lunii şi o prezentare a proiectului său protest „Soare de vânzare”."

Five Future Lawsuits We’re Already Working On

2008-08-02T06:47:00.000-07:00

Lauren Davis from io9.com writes about future lawsuits (http://io9.com/5032197/five-future-lawsuits-were-already-working-on):
"This fall’s Battlestar Galactica prequel, Caprica, will plunge civil rights attorney Joseph Adama into unfamiliar legal and ethical depths when he encounters the first member of the Cylonic species. Fortunately, lawyers on our planet are already considering the legal consequences of the future, toaster-laden or otherwise. After the jump, five legal areas sure to burn up the billable hours of future law firms.
Extraterrestrial Property: For several decades, the field of space law was focused on the extraplanetary actions of governments and the placement of satellites in orbit. But as private enterprises turn their sights on the stars, legal scholars have been forced to ponder just who will own the final frontier.
Who is working on it: Virgiliu Pop, a researcher at the Romanian Space Agency who once jokingly claimed ownership of the sun, has written extensively on the perils of allowing individuals to stake extraterrestrial claims without the recognition of the entire international community. Others, like Space Settlement Institute executives Alan Wasser and Douglas Jobes, have written about approaching a real estate framework from a perspective of colonization."

Xoom - The Truth: Lawyer Claims to Own Sun

2008-07-30T07:02:00.000-07:00

Mark Macready from "Xoom: The Truth" (http://xoomthetruth.blogspot.com/2008/07/lawyer-claims-to-own-sun.html) brings his "two cents" to the issue of extraterrestrial property rights:
"Our records indicate you only spent 200 hours in the sun this month, would you like us to rollover your remaining 520 hours to next month's Sun Usage Bill?"
Okay, so that’s a little extreme, but one Lawyer’s recent claim to own the sun is real. So will he use this claim as a diabolical plan to charge all humanity for the Sun and its usage? No. Although that would make one hell of a Sci-Fi Original Movie, his outrageous claim actually was brought about to expose the ridiculousness of extraterrestrial real estate 'owners' and 'sellers'.
Virgiliu Pop (easily one of the best names ever), a PhD Candidate at the University of Glasgow, said:
"If they believe they can own a celestial body just because it has not been claimed before, and then sell it to the public, so can I say I own the Sun and charge the 'extraterrestrial owners' for solar energy".
Mr. Pop registered his claim over the Sun on April 28th, 2001, with the Archimedes Institute Claim Registration Office, registry that has been used also by Mr. Gregory Nemitz in registering his claim over asteroid Eros. "In February 2001, Mr. Nemitz sent NASA an invoice for the parking/storage fee for the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft, that landed on 'his' property.
I don’t know about you guys, but that last line about Mr. Nemitz sending invoices to NASA for the parking/storage of their spacecraft is probably one of the funniest things I’ve read in a while."

How to Wash a Cat

2008-07-13T12:57:00.000-07:00

Today my worst fears were confirmed: I am the postman's son. Or the plumber's. Under no circumstance can this cat-washing gentleman be my father.

ScienceJunkies.com: Unreal Estate

2008-02-27T06:58:00.000-08:00

Linda, from Sciencejunkies.com (http://sciencejunkies.com/2008/02/27/unreal-estate/), reviews my book, "Unreal Estate":
"Yet another great question put forth by my ever curious 10 year-old Science Junkie: Can people own planets, stars moons, etc?
Over the past several decades, numerous individuals and companies have claimed ownership of various celestial bodies and, in most cases, subsequently offered them for sale to the public. Nowadays, the extraterrestrial “deeds” held by various companies and private citizens number in the millions.
In the 1940’s, multitudes of people submitted requests to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for lunar homesteads. In the 1950’s, deeds for square inches of lunar property were offered as premiums with breakfast cereals. In the 1960’s, the Moon and Venus were officially annexed by several municipalities.
Now the lawyers have gotten involved. Virgiliu Pop, a Pioneer in Space Law has written a book entitled “Unreal Estate - The Men who Sold the Moon” in which he recounts fascinating stories of actual cases involving space property claims. Being a preeminent authority in the growing field of Space Law, Pop makes the legal argument that one cannot own cosmic realestate."

Salon.com: Who owns the moon?

2008-01-19T07:43:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth Svoboda from Salon.com interviewed me for an article on extraterrestrial property rights (http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/01/19/moon_real_estate/):

Unsurprisingly, most space law experts reject Hope's claims. Ram Jakhu, a space lawyer at McGill University, thinks Hope made a mistake in assuming the Moon Treaty's demise made his venture legitimate. In fact, the Outer Space Treaty, ratified by the United States and 97 other nations, already covers all the necessary bases because its prohibition against government space property ownership applies to individual citizens as well. "The Outer Space Treaty is public law, and as such, private citizens are subject to it," Jakhu says. "It doesn't matter if you go and put your own flag up there. The treaty is very clear and broad and denies the claims of any property owners." Virgiliu Pop, a member of the International Institute of Space Law and author of "Unreal Estate: The Men Who Sold the Moon," agrees. "People like Dennis Hope have no legitimate basis whatsoever for what they are doing. If states cannot appropriate extraterrestrial realms, neither can their nationals." Hope fires back by dismissing their dismissals. "That has no credence. That's just their opinion. We don't need the recognition of the world."

"Cap de afis" with Simona Pele, Radio Timisoara

2007-12-14T16:49:00.000-08:00

Radio Timisoara's Simona Pele has me as a guest to "Cap de afis", where she interviews me about my travels through China, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Diving in Bali

2007-12-04T11:56:00.000-08:00

White Water Rafting in Bali

2007-12-03T08:55:00.000-08:00

The Gate Keeper

2007-12-01T15:21:00.000-08:00

The Gordian Knot

2007-12-01T15:18:00.000-08:00

Evening Prayer

2007-12-01T15:11:00.000-08:00

Transcendence

2007-12-01T15:07:00.000-08:00

Public Enemy number 137

2007-11-30T14:59:00.000-08:00

Looking for “porn” in monasteries

2007-11-25T12:00:00.000-08:00

As I said before, “porn” seems to be a very common concept in Thailand. Girls have names such as Supaporn, whereas the guesthouse I booked in Phuket is called Chalermporn. If the Siamese are looking for “porn”, they would usually go to a Buddhist temple; monks would be more than happy to provide. In fact, the most religious of people are the ones most longing for “porn”. A Thai Buddhist monk visiting Amsterdam would certainly appreciate that the Dutch were so considerate towards other cultures to provide visitors from his country with a “porn channel”. If he were to actually watch the broadcast, he would be in for a culture shock. Because in Thai, “porn” means blessing.

Leaving Chiangmai

2007-11-24T15:00:00.000-08:00

The previous day, Watis, Alexander’s friendly colleague and one of the local organizers of the conference, wanted to make sure that I would find a good backpack to replace the torn one. He was willing to help, hence he told me to call him when I wake up. So I did, around 8:30, and we decided that he would pick me up in his car around 11, help me with the luggage matter and show me a little bit around the city. I checked out from Ben Guesthouse – the hosts have proven themselves very friendly. The room has cost me 200 baht – that is 6 US dollars – and provided the bare necessities of life. What I needed for last night was nothing more than that.
Watis and I went around the city to see mainly Buddhist temples. Although I am a Christian, I confessed being impressed with the Thai religious architecture. Watis had the same opinion about the European sacred buildings – having visited many churces while backpacking in Europe a few years back. I was amazed at the density of temples in Chiangmai and at their richness in details. The most impressive temple – maybe not the most beautiful but by all means the most imposing – is the Phra Dhatu Chedi Luang – a glimpse of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, which I will hopefully visit next week.
As Chiangmai lies in a valley, plenty of people would often head to the mountains surrounding the city. They have names such as Doi Suthep (Peak of the Good Angel) and Doi Pui (Floating Peak). Watis was very entertained when I told him that Doi Pui, pronounced precisely the same, means Two Chicks in Romanian. I do not know whether I will be ale to learn Thai myself – fair enough, nothing is impossible – as Thai is a tonal language. Chinese is tonal as well, olny that Thai is a very sing-sung idiom, and a very nasal one. For the untrained ear, it may be difficult to recognize, but after four days, it started to make sense to me. Maybe there is a chance I can learn some words, given that it is extremely sexy, with girl names such as Supaporn and guesthouses called Chalermporn.
Watis and I were both hungry, so given that he has been an excellent host and was of great assstance to me, I was very happy to offer to buy lunch for both of us, at a restaurant of his choice and with a menu of his choice. So he did, and we had three courses between the two of us – a rice dish with green curry, a noodles dish with crab meat, and a soup. Prices for food here are extremely reasonable, whereas alcoholic drink cost about the same as in Romania. The reason is taxation – as explained by Watis; Government imposes heavy excises in order to discourage drinking, Anyway, in four days I have spent in Thailand until now, I have not seen any drunken Thai.
With due respect to my Indian and Chinese friends, whose cuisine I love, I have to confess that Thai food is, nonetheless, number 1 in my list. The flavour of lemongrass, the heat of other spices, tempered by the smoothness of the coconut milk, makes Thai cuisine a heavenly one. I do understand very well why so many “farang” (foreigners) come to visit and even settle here; I could never see why would one want to leave. All the flavours, the very reasonable cost of life, and the kindness of the Thai people, makes Siam the ideal place to be.
Neither did I want to leave, but I had a plane to catch – though a domestic one. Watis had to go back to the Chiang Mai university, as he had a class at 1:30, so he dropped me at the extremely modern Mall near the airport. I found a good backpack there – they were on sale – and I headed by foot to the arport, which is within walking distance from the Airport Plaza Mall. I checked in, and as the claims office was closed (being Saturday and also the festival of Loi Kratong), the checkin staff were extremely helpful and contacted the Phukhet office. Hopefully, I will have this matter sorted out while in Phuket.

Sawasdee, and a torn luggage

2007-11-20T22:20:00.000-08:00

After landing in Chiangmai and being greeted “Sawasdee”, I collected my backpack, and I noticed that somebody must have loved a part of it very much – that is, a part of the belt. Fortunately, although torn, nothing was lost. I filled in a form, and hopefully in the following days I would get another backpack, paid for by the Star Alliance. I then proceeded to the arrivals lounge, hoping that I would be greeted either by somebody from the conference, or from the hotel. This not being the case, I paid 120 baht (about 3.60 US$) for a taxi trip to town. Not too expensive, actually! The driver was quite surprised at the prices practiced in Europe. I arrived at the luxurious Holiday Inn (why is it called “inn” I have no idea), and I immediately went on to explore the surrounding area, being quite hungry. I could not find anything apart from street vendor food, and – at least for that time – I did not dare to partake. My cup of tea would have been something mid-range – not too expensive, not too inexpensive (in local standards) – but no middle class restaurants were to be found in tht part of the city. Once in the midst of the local life, I went on to see whether the cats in Siam are Siamese cats. As I expected, they were not. They look exactly the same as cats back home. Maybe those in the buddhist temples would be different – my knowledge at that time being that Siamese cats were bred by Buddhist monks.

Thailanding

2007-11-20T14:00:00.001-08:00

Suvarnabhumi International Airport is Thailand’s newest transport interface with the world. Everything of importance in Thailand has the “Bhu” particle included – be it the airport or the King. The first thing I saw in Thailand was the King’s portrait, next to a slogan wishing him long life. In fact, HM the King of Thailand will turn 80 in a few days. Last year, he celebrated 60 years on the throne, making him the world’s longest reigning monarch currently in office. I was told before – and this will be confirmed to me – that the Thai are not too fond of the way their country is portrayed in “The King and I” / “Anna and the King”. To them, the image is as untrue as it is to Romanians the image of a Transylvania populated by vampires. I was a bit worried that I would enter Thilnd in Bangkok, whereas my luggage would clear the customs in Chiangmai. I was told this is allright, as I would collect my luggage from the International Arrivals in Chiangmai. Fair enough – so I proceeded to the immigration gate, where my passport was checked and duly stamped. Here I am, in Thailand, my first South-East Asian destination. The flight schedule provided for a few hours waiting period in the Suvarnabhumi airport, so I purchased some Thai Bath – the local currency, and I searched for an internet wifi spot. Unfortunately, despite the modernity of the arport, the internet was not working. Perhaps it was just a temporary problem. Not too worried, I proceeded to the boarding gate, where I watched some Thai TV ( a show dedicated to the King’s aniversary) and remarked that a big deal of my fellow travellers are Hungarian.

From Vienna to Bangkok

2007-11-19T23:17:00.000-08:00

The flight from the Vienna International Airport to Bangkok was uneventful – apart from Z saving Princess Bala from General Mandible and Bruce Willis saving the world (for the nth time) from the terrorists (yipi-kay-ai!). Onboard etertainment, courtesy of Austrian Airlines and DVD technology. The flight crossed Austria, Hungary, Romania, the Black Sea, Georgia (the Tblisi, not Atlanta variety), Armenia, the Caspian Sea, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, the Bay of Bengal, Burma, and Thailand. Some of these places are not the best to fly over, but I felt secure, knowing that Bruce Willis would help, if needed. He did so in Air Force One, and would have saved even the passengers of the Titanic, were he cast in that movie instead of Leonardo di Caprio.

Intermezzo: Vienna Airport

2007-11-19T08:57:00.000-08:00

It's cold. It's very cold. I made the mistake to leave my winter jacket in Romania. After all, I am going to Southern Asia ... all my other clothes are in the checked luggage, and until I check in for the flight to Bangkok, there is still a lot of time. Trouble is, I will spend three weeks to the tropics, and then, when I will return, it will be to a very cold Romanian winter. This year, Timisoara witnessed an unusual snow in November. Take that, Al Gore! Global warming? I would rather say, a new ice age. But, I am biased ... I never understood how Santa Claus chose his job. I mean, he was a bishop from Asia Minor (I visited his church in what is today Turkey), and imagine the shock on his flock when he declared: M'dears, I shall move to Rovaniemi, Republic of Finland.
But I diverge. Here I am, in Vienna, happy that at least there is free wireless internet and an available electricity plug. I wish there was a bed somewhere, where could sleep. And a warm jacket. This reminds me: "What is blue and kills old people? Hypothermia!"

First leg: Timisoara-Vienna: no cold water

2007-11-19T05:13:00.000-08:00

Here I am, in the lounge of Timisoara's airport, waiting for my flight to Vienna. The airport is changing at a very fast pace - due to Carpatair (I will actually fly Austrian), Timisoara is becoming a regional hub. Building works as building works, but what is not excusable, is the lack of water in the bathroom. My hands are full of dry soap ... as I commented with the security staff, the "good times" (Ceausescu's) are back. The security staff actually envy me for leaving the airport - they have to stay here for the whole day.

Austrian Arrows - operated by Tyrollean - flying from Timisoara to Vienna under the aegis of Austrian Airlines - code shared with Tarom. Easy to understand, isn't it?

Why do people smile when they are photographed? Why do I smile? No idea.

t- 2 hours

2007-11-19T01:22:00.001-08:00

What would a 21st century traveler do, before leaving home? Starting a blog (how unoriginal) and posting the first note, while the luggages are still unpacked (now, that is daring!). Last night, I booked almost all my accomodation over the internet, and two nights ago, I bought all my plane tickets. The cost of the air travel, whilst in South-East Asia? 498 euros! That is budget travel. And here comes the itinerary:

Yuri's Night in Timisoara, club CCCP

2007-04-12T23:50:00.000-07:00

"Cultura la doi pasi" with Simona Pele, Radio Timisoara

2007-04-12T16:00:00.000-07:00

Radio Timisoara's Simona Pele has me as a guest to "Cultura la doi pasi", where she interviews me about Yuri's Night and space travel.

The Investor: "Terenul pe Luna - intre excentricitate si pionierat"

2007-03-01T15:17:00.000-08:00

Alice-Claudia Gherman writes about space property rights in "The Investor": http://www.theinvestormagazine.com/ro/index.php?id=10025%E2%8C%A9=ro&concl=articol&nr=39&rubrica=11&pag=1

Timisoreanul Virgiliu Pop, doctorand in drept la Universitatea din Glasgow, a publicat anul trecut o carte pe acest subiect - Unreal Estate - The Man Who sold the Moon". El pledeaza pentru un drept de proprietate in spatiu bazat pe fundamente reale, nu pe simpla dorinta "de a fi stapan acolo". "Celebrul tratat din 1969, la care au aderat multe tari, interzice suveranitatea in spatiu", spune el. "Pe plan privat, aceasta se traduce prin vaduvirea asa-zisilor Ťproprietariť de posibilitatea andorsarii statale asupra Ťproprietatiiť lor. Proprietatea nu se dobandeste doar prin dorinta de a fi proprietar, ci pe baza unor acte de luare in posesie. O revendicare nu inseamna o improprietarire". Problema de nuanta, continua Pop, este ca nimeni nu vinde in realitate teren pe Luna sau altundeva. "Ceea ce se vinde e o simpla hartie, frumos incondeiata si atat. Un fel de indulgente medievale. Cine este proprietarul Lunii acum? Toata lumea si nimeni! Este un bun public, actualmente - poate fi folosit de oricine, dar nu poate fi insusit de nimeni". Pe scurt - o tranzactie imobilara cu bunuri... mobile. "Problema vanzarilor de pamant pe Luna nu este exotismul lor, ci faptul ca sunt neadevarate", subliniaza Virgiliu Pop.
In replica, Adrian Dragan, a carui companie este reprezentanta Lunar Embassy in Romania, spune ca Pop vede doar jumatatea goala a paharului...

Pus in fata argumentelor lui Virgiliu Pop, Dragan subliniaza ca este o chestiune de timp. "In clipa in care Luna va deveni astroportul Terrei, un particular va face acolo baze si se vor construi nave spatiale, atunci se va pune problema dreptului de proprietate in cel mai serios mod posibil." ...

"Virgil Pop i-a trimis odata lui Dennis Hope o factura, cerand bani pentru lumina si caldura de la Soare. Hope i-a raspuns ca cere prea mult: "Recunosc dreptul de proprietate asupra Soarelui, dar nu pot sa platesc, asa ca inchide-mi lumina si caldura.". - Adrian Dragan

"Cine e proprietarul Lunii? Toata lumea si nimeni! Este un bun public, actualmente - poate fi folosit de oricine, dar nu poate fi insusit de nimeni. Problema vanzarilor de pamant pe Luna nu este exotismul lor, ci faptul ca sunt neadevarate". - Virgiliu Pop"

Virgiliu Pop on the "Cultura Nova" show

2006-11-11T10:07:00.000-08:00

On November 11th, 2006, George Gaina of the "Europa Nova" TV in Timisoara had me as a guest on the "Cultura Nova" show.