bicyclemark

Environmental Backlash

Dear Paris:

Did you get the memo from the United Nations? – Global warming is a fact. A fact. Furthermore… a fact.

I mention this because it has come to my attention that you are turning on your environmentally conscious mayor. You dislike him because he’s making special bus and bike lanes and he’s closing some roads to traffic on weekends in favor of people walking, biking, and anything else. You hate him, and you’ll likely vote him out as soon as possible. He is a threat to you and the car that you love to drive everywhere.

But dear Parisien(ne), didn’t you read the report? Didn’t you hear the news? Did you notice the flowers blooming in February and the fact that you could have worn shorts today? This is no longer a test. This is not an optional thing. This is not about when it is conventient for YOU. This is happenning now, and it demands action.

Or maybe you’ll just drive in cricles. Till the river rises up and floods you out of house in home. Or extreme storms and mysterious tornadoes tear through your neighborhood. Maybe you drive around trying to outrun the record heat this summer. Ignore the arctic ice and Al Gore, drive that your new HumVee over to the overpriced café for a drink. Then drive around some more. Vote out that dam mayor and take a pic-axe to those bike lanes and buses. Pee on the metro and spit on the new tram line. After all.. you are a driver… it is your world.

Dear Parisien(ne)…. say it ain’t so?

your friend on two wheels,
bicyclemark

Breakdown, Northern France

Well. I could make this stuff up… but the fact is.. this shit just happens.

As previously mentioned, I met up with the hitchhike ride from Amsterdam to PAris. Cool people, old ride. Like old classic Mercedes minibus ride. I noticed everytime she shifted gears I could see the pavement beneath us. That and I couldnt hear much besides the engine the whole ride.

About 5 hours had passed, and we were enjoying the scenery; their dislike for highways meant that we took as many country roads as possible. Which was slightly odd since the bus was would crawl up those hills of northern france, but no matter… more time to enjoy the scenery.

That is, until, KERPLUNK.

SOMETHING FELL. NO SOMETHING HIT US. NO WE RAN OVER SOMETHING? Quick pull over.
She starts looking over the engine, and I notice she knows that engine like the back of her hand. In a matter of seconds her hands are completely black from the oily engine grime. Her husband scours the two-lane country road.. retracing our very slow steps. EUREKA. ITs a waterpump, and its laying on the side of road. Apparently minus waterpump, engine overheats.

Enter local parts and wood salesman. He lives across the street. Comes out and examines the engine, carrying with him a jar of a zillion spare screws. I stand around useless, trying not to look useless.. thinking of how likely the chance is that we’re stuck. They seem to notice my thoughts and start asking the guy how they can get me to paris. A station.. a train.. one town over… you can make it before the engine overheats… only problem is.. lots of hills. We didnt even make it passed the first hill.

Suddenly she runs to the side of the road and sticks out her thumb. Im dumbfounded.. figure shes hoping to get advice or a mechanic. Instead, when someone finally stops.. she starts yelling for me to get my stuff cause Ive got a ride. Boom.. I thank them quickly and step into the warm car. Kid and wife in the back, nice guy driving Callypso music blasting… I was completely dazed. Just said many thank you’s and mentioned that I had no idea where I was. They were also confused — “Will your friends be ok, stranded back there?” I hope so, I said.. at least.. they have a whole living space in that bus and tons of food.

Another hour goes by and Im wondering where theyre leaving me. Wonder no more, Im dropped off at the beggining of whatever metro… a thousand thank you’s and a big smile… poof.. Im half asleep on the metro and eventually.. at ze local café with Max and Stacy.

So it goes sometimes.. if you’re me. You hitchhike via internet.. it breaks down.. you hitchhike the old way. So it goes.

Faire du Stop

On my way to Paris… yeehaw. Hitching a ride, in fact, through the magic of hitchhikers.org which is always a garunteed interesting time.

While in Paris I shall finally meet Chris from Americablog, who’s cats I already met during my last Paris visit. And naturally I’ll be seeing some of my wonderful Paris friends, including Max and Stacy of Karmabanque.

Which brings me to my recommendations for the day:

Max Keiser debating the world economy on France24 the other day. Great debate and I love how Max doesn’t sugar coat things as the other financial “experts” seem to be doing.

Oh and DO watch this no comment video blog entry from the first of March. If you watch carefully, you’ll very quickly realize you’re watching the Brussels Fire Department fighting in the streets against the Police during what I can only assume was a labor protest. Amazing to see them watercannoning each other, and sad to see that they don’t realize they should be allies in that struggle.

A Road Trip to Watch

Dillip just called me. He noticed my comments regarding his fantastic journeys through the south of the United States. Virginia..TEnnessee Mississippi.. Louisiana.. I can’t remember all the names. But I’ll not forget the words I read as he puts them up on his blog.

He called and told me he had heard I was coming to New Orleans as well. Which indeed.. the plan is in the works and It will happen. He told me he had gone down to the Bayou to visit fishing towns.. to see how people there were coping. As you can imagine.. some are coping.. many are not.

I mentioned the FEMA trailers… he said “I wish I had spoken to you before about this, I had to use the bathroom on one of those trailers yesterday.” Fortunately I think his health is fine. Beyond that.. his trip is just more inspiration for my own journey to see and report to you what is going on and why. Imagine that… a guy visting from India and a guy visiting from the Netherlands, I can only imagine all the other crazies like us wandering around trying to understand it all.

Ooh.. and today I read another interesting tale from NOLA. This time it involves musicians and the building of a new community in the 9th ward.. built for and by the musicians. NICE.

bmtv40 EU Parliament, 1 is Enough

Click To Play

I was at the EU parliament this weekend. Got me thinking about what this building represents.
And then I remembered there are two of them, and lots of wasted resources to cart MEP’s back and forth. Hence this vlog and this link.

Friendship Express Rolls On

Last week, as I was doing the usual middle-of-the-night TV news network watching, the story of the train bombing aboard the Pakistan-India Friendship Express came up. Initially they called it a fire, and the details were few. I sat here, uneasy, as Im sure many observers did… that this was more than a fire and worst of all.. this was an attempt to break the peace process between the two countries.

It almost seemed typical. In my minds eye I could see India blaming Pakistan, and vice-versa.. then the train would be cancelled forever as would other travel links… and then it would be back to testing missiles and living on the brink of human annihaliation. As the next few details appeared on the television, I was already low on hope.

In fact that is NOT what happened. At least it doesn’t seem so, one week later. The Pakistani dictator-turned-president condemned the thing and vowed to keep working for peace. The Indian Prime Minister said the same. People mourned the tragedy, but in the news articles and editorials that I read, they didn’t call for blood. Which is some small way, seems encouraging.

Normally in the world, history repeats iself. Over and over. No lessons are learned, or at least, not enough lessons are learned by the people making decisions that can end or enhance human lives. Yet every now and then, I think we’re seeing an adjustment, a change. And in this case, I wonder if it isn’t a true change for the better… for peace between two longtime enemies.