The Skyscraper Fad of the 1920s
With the start of the 20th century, America became one of the most powerful economies in the world. With an abundance of steel, iron, money and modern construction techniques, it seemed natural that the course of action was to build massive structures that would show the newly accumulated wealth. Starting in Chicago in
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How the Romanian education system promotes stigmatization of manual workers
Education plays an essential part in the sustainable development of a country. Yet, it is often the most disregarded policy in newly developed economies. The little short term benefits disincentivise authorities to take sustainable action. After all, small children do not vote. Less than 4% of the Romanian GDP is spent on the education budget.
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The European Impact
Brexit has been the talk of Europe for the past three years. The abundant information provided by various publications makes it hard for many to form a structured and objective view on the matter. If you want to be part of the people that get a better insight into the topic and voice informed opinions
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A Discussion of the Power of the Self
Besides being a popular song by Living Colour, the ‘Cult of Personality’ is probably also one of the paramount factors that shaped history over the last century. By definition, the pejorative term implies that the leader of a totalitarian state has brought his characteristics near to deification, through propaganda. Or in a simpler manner, the
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Feike Sijbesma on the Transition of Royal DSM
Feike Sijbesma, the CEO of Royal DSM, participated in the first Room for Discussion interview of the year, on the 15th of January. In all honesty, many people, including myself, did not fully grasp the magnitude of Royal DSM. Their products are part of our daily lives without us even remotely realizing it. From
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-The Canal that Changed the Flow of Romanian History
I’ve always had the feeling that talking about communism is rather taboo in Romania. The academic year would always end before we reached 1947 in history class. As such, I am reluctant to dive into such a sensitive subject. But here I stand, after reading an interview from a dear family friend that was a
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Europe in Crisis: As part of their 10-year anniversary, Room for Discussion have reserved the month of October to debating institutions in crisis. This week, they invited Neelie Kroes to talk about the current state of the European Union and some of its pressing problems. As a follow-up to our Sunday article, here are some
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-Introducing former European Commissioner Neelie Kroes
Neelie Kroes is, in short, a woman of power. Born in 1941 in Rotterdam, she is a Dutch and European politician for the liberal VVD party. Being said to have broken every glass ceiling, she was former European Commissioner for Competition and Digital Agenda (2004-2014), first female underminister at the Ministry of Transport, Public Works
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What is different about the technology industry
By the time this article is up, it would’ve been two weeks since the infamous Joe Rogan and Elon Musk interview. If you, the reader, haven’t yet listened to the extensive two and a half hour podcast, I highly recommend parts of it,(no, not the portion where Elon Musk puffs a blunt), especially where
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Finding the potion for eternal youth
Humans have been searching for the fountain of youth since the beginning of written history. Whether a Greek historian, or a Spanish conquistador, all believed that far-away lands hide the mystical water source. Today, with the world map fully explored and a much better understanding of the causes of aging, it appears that eternal youth
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The downfall of religion in Europe
It is no surprise that religion, and especially Christianity, has shaped the heritage and history of the European continent. Adopted by the Roman empire in 308 A.D., Christianity in Europe has been at the heart of wealth and war. After one big schism in 1054 and the reformations in the 16th century, we arrive today,
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How Big Data is revolutionizing economics
A few weeks ago I attended the Digital Economy Days, a technological conference organized by the University of Amsterdam in partnership with Samsung, that encourages students to get ready for the digital economy environment in which they will be working. Being rather tech adverse and having a limited understanding of anything beyond Microsoft Office, one
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Yakuza, the Japanese mafia, is as far away as it gets from tattooed samurais that fight each other with katanas. The organization is more likely to resemble a very successful corporation that in 2015 had an estimated revenue of $80 Billion dollars. Unlike most organized crime groups, the yakuza is legal. (or at least, sort
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The possible path to unity
Paved with various political controversies, the start of the 23rd edition of the Winter Olympics brought many ongoing questions to light. With security concerns voiced by France, Germany and the US toward the end of 2017 as a result of North Korea’s nuclear programme, the event was viewed with skepticism and as a spark for
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...but, not the one you are thinking about
When you grow up in Romania, there is a saying that you will hear anytime you want to go outside at night: “beware of the black van”. The saying revolves around the often discussed issue of kidnapping and human trafficking. The black van will stop near you while you are walking on the street and
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