Podcasting since 2004; Conversations, conflicts, adventures and monologues from around the world.
You know its a good dinner conversation when we break into European History thru revolutions and wars. Shouldn’t be much of a surprise since in our spare time we also look up who the last King of the Austro-Hungarian empire was.
But this evening Krizu alerted me to something I actually had no clue about and am quite shocked to learn: They are de-mining Belgium from World War 1! I repeat.. WWI (1914 to 1918), there are still mines scattered about certain parts of Belgium that were put there around 90 years ago!?
This isn’t just a matter of fascinating tidbits of knowledge, this about a terrible war, so long ago, still able to claim victims. Apparently the Belgian army has a whole specific unit dedicated to finding these last land-mines. Obviously I now want to meet these guys, they must have amazing stories.
Beyond this I didn’t realize, and she pointed out, that only a few hours south, down there in Belgium, there are still plenty of old trenches and craters in the earth leftover from WWI. Why am I surprised? I guess I expected everything, beyond the occasional memorial or museum, to be cleaned up, renovated, built upon… in effect.. erased.
This gets me to thinking of other wars, including the current occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. What about the landmines? (several nations, including the US, refuse to stop using them) Or even the craters. How many generations later will still see these scars and live with the risk of potentially blowing up because of a landmine left behind, for another war that allegedly will end all war (or terror).
If if never said it before.. I fully intend to have some children some day. Yup.. some youngins… and my dear Krizu predicts Ill have those youngins relatively sooner rather than later in my life.
Which brings me to today’s topic: Im pregnant!
(watching to see if my readership suddenly increases with Soap Opera like news)
OK no. BUT. I do wonder about what country is good for raising a child. And while I can hear my mothers voice as she reads this saying “it isnt about the country.. it is about the family and how the family raises the children”… I would still like to examine some other factors when it comes to good places to raise children. (besides a barn)
So who better to look to than UNICEF. If they know anything… its kids. And when they released a study entitled “Child Well Being in Rich Countries” I was impressed to see the Netherlands in first place, followed by Sweden and Denmark. I was also interested to see the UK in last, and the US in second to last. For anyone who cares, Portugal was around 17th, as you can see in the graph.
The study looks at factors that I admit I dont understand how theyre measured.. child well being, relationships with parents, material well being…
Still it goes well with my own surface research; whenever I see the huge number of parents waiting to take their kids to lunch, standing outside the schools with their bikes, on break from work. I think to myself — hey.. thats how it should be! In Newark we just went to the basement for lunch and were allowed to run around in a small square called the playground, and if a parent visited that would mean we were in big trouble. So while I don’t know exactly how great Unicef’s study is, and I haven’t lived the experience.. so far.. all the signs point to the fact that Im in the right city to raise me some youngins.
I was on the phone with mom earlier this evening and I asked if she’d heard about the results of the referendum. “NO I haven’t!” she said.
Portugal held a referendum yesterday on the question of abortion. While I was there in December I did see a scattered few billboards in Lisbon urging either a YES to legalize abortion or NO to keep abortion illegal. While I did get to ask a few people about it, i don’t remember much conversation on the topic, but I was definitely watching the results come in last night as Im sure many of my Portuguese friends were.
The result is that the Yes vote got 59% of the vote. A very loud statement that the voting citizenry of the nation were tired of seeing women being incarcerated for seeking abortions or fleeing to other countries in order to get one. Unfortunately less than 50 percent of elligible voters actually turned out, which I believe doesn’t make the referendum fully binding… but it looks like this will provide the necessary push for lawmakers to change the law.
I watched the annoying coverage on CNN last night; its Portugal so you can’t expect more than 2 minutes with 30 seconds of video… cut to commercial for Dubai or some other wealthy play ground apparently Im supposed to consider visiting based on their ads.
The graphic under the brief video read “most of Portugal is catholic.” I read the graphic and kept thinking… GREAT. They should have added a graphic, “Portugal may have citizens who think for themselves and don’t look to the vatican for instructions on how to run a country.” I realize many do look to the vatican, but I still think the graphic and the image that Portuguese are so completely tethered to religion is a somewhat out-dated assumption. Somebody get me the church attendance numbers.
All in all, an interesting milestone in the history of Portugal as the nation evolves and democracy matures. If you accept that this is how a democracy matures; declining voter turn out, struggle with religious traditions… sounds fairly typical.
Stay tuned for a podcast related to this topic in the coming week, as I just realized Women on Waves is in my neck of the woods.
The following were my biggest concerns while trying to get across town during what turned out to be the worst storm of the decade in the Netherlands:
Don’t get blown into a canal.
Don’t be pushed onto oncoming traffic.
It may seem odd or stupid, but journey to and from the otherside of town featured some very scary moments where I nearly got into some terrible messes, and was indeed knocked clear off my bike. (read my story on trippist)
While the European Union recently announced some fairly lofty goals for reducing greenhouse emissions by 2020, it is very clear that whatever happens, this continent is going to suffer some very crazy weather. Some very dangerous weather.
Scanning the headlines last night, and all day today, I couldn’t believe the damage. People crushed, people blown into the ocean, into car accidents, into trees. Sure its no Tsunami or earthquake, but for a Europe that normally feels so ontop of things and ready for danger and prepared for whatever disasters, you really get a sense of how fragile everything is after a storm like this one.
No trains ran in Germany. The beautiful Hauftbahnhoft station closed down, as a huge chunk of it broke. Same here in the Netherlands. Container ships abandoned and sinking in the English channel, an oil spill in Rotterdam harbor. The list goes on and on.
We’re already paying the price for the reckless development of our ancestors, not to mention our current generation of working people. Considering all the havoc, any government that does not have a serious plan for cutting emissions and developing in a more sustainable and less polluting way, is not only stupid and dangerous… they are criminals. (no matter what continent we’re talking about)
You may have heard the name Warsaw or even Krakow, but have you heard about the Polish city of Wroclaw? Well chances are, you will, because whether you talking culture or commerce, the city and its mayor are making waves in the European swimming pool.
My guest, on the phone from Wroclaw, Poland, is Agnieszka. She is one of the very busy people who, I’m convinced, are driving the city’s dynamic art scene to international recognition. (read about the upcoming 12th International Media Art Biennale WRO 07)
We discuss:
– What is unique and what is important to know, when it comes to this city.
– History of Wroclaw, the changes over the past century
– Mayor Rafa? Dutkiewicz, coming to power, and his plans for the city
– Working with the mayor
– His famous and unorthodox campaign to reach polish emigrants, in places like the UK
– Who is investing in the city and what jobs will there be
– The longterm possibilities
– The independent thinking republic of wroclaw
– and more, listen to the program.
Some audio from Bill Moyers as well, to start it off right.