2 Comments

Wishing the government luck on the gas subsidies: looks like they're trying very hard to be fair. I'd say the internet growing pains aren't as important as audit controls to verify registration facts and levels of vulnerability. (The U.S. Federal Government is pretty bad at this itself: it's the final piece of a safety-net system which rarely gets implemented.) It helps if the funds can only go to electricity - that would have to be set up on the billing side.

While Moldovans are ingenious when it comes to finding fuel for sobas and greenhouses, I still worry about mature trees in forest areas. My village had a small oak forest which I suspect wasn't that old, maybe 200 years or less (they claimed 400 years; I don't remember the trees being that huge.) Who knows, maybe it gets cut down every few centuries in times of real hardship.

Just rambling to show you're appreciated, David and again, hoping that the upcoming winter is a mild one! - Connie McClellan M28 2013-2015

Expand full comment
author

Hey Connie - thanks for the comments!

Yes, I think that there is a major risk of deforestation this winter. The government is working to police the forests but there is little to do when people are desperate. I think this will likely be a bad year for Europe's forests in general :(

Expand full comment