As the Sun Sets on the Gdansk Shipyard

9549473188_77c93dc089_cThe shipyard of Gdansk Poland is legendary both for its well known capacity to build ships and the labor struggles that would send shock waves of inspiration to the entire world. The tireless and selfless efforts of workers of the Solidarity Movement who stood up to authority and brute force, demanding justice and respect, no doubt made a better life for countless people in Poland, Europe and beyond. Yet decades later, the now privatized, downsized, and struggling shipyard feels more like a graveyard or a shrine to a lost past. The victories, on the grand scale of time, were short lived, as the world of ship building, labor, and politics, changed yet again, and Solidarity went from engine of change to historical symbol of a bygone era. Was it all for nothing? Are the dreams of those workers still alive in Gdansk or elsewhere? When the new luxury condominiums and shopping malls break ground on the same site where workers lost their lives and built their dreams, will their efforts matter anymore? Should they? Or is this just life.

Special thanks to the Subjective Bus Line from which I recorded some of this audio. When in Gdansk, find their fantastic old-school red bus and take one of the last rides around the shipyard.  And hurry, they are already building over much of this history.

Missile Tests Mean…

Ok the two-day festivus is over. And just as many people sit down to eat the roast beast (or vegetarian roast-beast), over in Russia they are testing new Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles.  Yes, the ICBM, an acronym usually associated with the cold war and the 80’s.

Welcome to the new cold war.  In this version the US acts like Russia is their best friend and presidents look into each others souls and they drive around in pickup-trucks together.

Meanwhile behind the scenes, the US has military contractors who need to build missiles and fear in order to justify their existence and make a profit so you can trade shares in Boeing and help make the CEO’s very wealthy.   The Russian government, on the other hand, has taken control of all the big oil and gas companies and if it gets the arctic claim they will control 1/3 of the world’s hydro-carbon energy.  So Russia tests ICBM’s, launching them by land and from submarines like the year is 1981. The US tries to build missile defences in places like the Czech Republic, Poland, and Greenland, claiming that this is all necessary to protect the world from… Iran.

Then Russia protests and says — Hey, that missile shield seems to be pointed towards us! And the US responds, no no no, that missile shield that goes right up til your border is not a threat to you, you can still launch your ICBM’s at us, no problem. Plus we’re best friends remember?

That is my rendition of the high school play entitled, The Cold War Part Deux.

bm228 The Polish Highway Debate

One of the newer members of the European Union, Poland plans to build a highway to the Baltic states. However part of that highway would run through an ecological preserve. The classic debate begins, development versus conservation. Economy versus Environment.

First guest is Peter of the Beatroot, who blogs on Poland and Eastern European Affairs.
Second guest is Ellen Townsend of Birdlife International in Brussels

Discussion Includes:
– The proposed highway
– The reasons for construction
– The route it takes and the risks involved
– public opinion locally and nationally in Poland
– the view from brussels
– EU environmental regulations
– Lobbying Brussels
– Alternate Plans
– The state of the case
– European Court of Justice
– Development versus environment

 

Highway Through Poland

With all the problems related to automobile exhaust and the destruction of wetlands throughout the world, I didn’t expect to hear that an EU nation was pushing to build a new highway through wetlands in order to connect to neighboring countries. But that is what has been going on in Poland.

It is not a new story, but it is an unresolved issue that seemingly doesn’t make the radar of most European media. Or if it does, it is summarized in brief in a tiny little column.

In the latest reports I’ve found at this moment, construction of the highway has been haulted because of pressure from the EU. But the fact that the Polish government wanted (and still wants to) execute such a project despite all that we’ve learned in the last decades about how important natural preserves and wetlands are. Somehow having a highway from Poland to Finland is more important that maintaining an ecosystem when so many have already been destroyed.

This might call for a conversation with the great blogger and journalist in Poland, Mr. the Beatroot. I’m especially interested in just how these plans can be reversed and the opinions of Polish people and other follow citizens on this continent. Building a highway.. how 20th century. Build a high speed rail line, or better yet.. a maglev train… whatever you do, plan for the future with what we’ve learned from the past.

Water Waste

I drink tap water. Constantly.

Yet somehow, much of the first world.. doesn’t anymore. Are you one of them?

This is world water week… and one of my many issues of concern in today’s world is the privatization, commodification, and destruction of the world’s water.

Everywhere I look I see bottled water. People carry them like a fashion statement. They put them in their kitchens for drinking water and act as if using the tap for drinking water is some kind of unthinkable punishment. This despite the fact that in most European cities and many North American cities, the municipal water systems ensure an extremely high quality of drinking water from the tap.

Meanwhile, large corporations mobilize to convince people and governments of how great things will be once they sell off their water system. They hope you won’t notice the disasters they oversaw in South America during the great privatization spree of the late 90’s.

And all the while you’re carrying that plastic bottle with you and cocacola has bought that poland spring or whichever your favorite allegedly spring water you like to drink. Oh and most of that water doesn’t come from a spring either, but the photo of a waterfall on the bottle somehow manages to make people forget that fact.

As it is world water week, Ill be doing more research into who is pushing for more water privatization and looking into who is currently making big bucks off of it. Meanwhile I can only hope that a new trend will emerge, one where people turn back to tap water.. carry a water bottle with h20 from the tap.. if only that would become the new cool.

Greetings from the Lost City of NOLA

Just arrived. Circled the town via automobile. Checked into chez lil’Robin who is just a fantastic person. She’s probably reading this too.. so I’ll withhold all other compliments.

Lots of meetings set up for tomorrow with some interesting projects. NOLA bloggers have not been the most responsive bunch, but I still hope to get some of the great personal publishers of this town to sit town and tell me what has happened and how.

For now this is just a hello to let y’all know, the crusading podcasting journalist has arrived and its amazing to see a city you’ve read, heard, and seen so much about.

Oh and there is a pressing issue that demands some immediate attention and I think EU sanctions.. and that is the Polish government’s rabid homophobia and their desire to erase any references to LGBT issues or history in their education system. Any mention of gay is apparently to be banned as well. (?)

As a very concerned citizen of the EU I think the government should have sanctions put on it and perhaps they should be brought before the EU court of justice for discrimination and violating the fundamental human rights they agree to respect by being part of the EU.

But ok, right now its hard to focus on that.. cause I’m in the Big EASY!