bicyclemark

No Relief

You might think this is a repeat of my report about the raging fires in Portugal, earlier this month, but it’s not. The situation has actually gotten worse, if that could be possible. Some 400 incidents reported over the weekend, the country is in terrible shape.

For some reason, only now has the country appealed to the European Union under some civil defence clause, that allows them to receive help for combatting the fires that are completely out of control across the nation. Germany is sending helicopters, France is sending water-dropping-planes. Even Spain, who has had some bad fires this summer as well, is sending those famous Canadair firefighting planes.

I found myself fascinated by the pathetic nature of politicians who habitually act as if they know what’s going on in times of crises, as I watched the Prime Minister sit with Portuguese firefighting commanders as they examined maps and talked strategy. As if the man has anything useful to add to the meeting. Its just like when GWBush went down to 9/11 to hang out with firefighters, its not like he had ever fought a fire in his life. Yet that’s part of their job. Career politicians, who go around pretending they know about the environment, world history, science, economics.. you know, all the subjects they probably slept through during their days at university.

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(Download Fixed*) Live from Sail ’05 in Amsterdam, where the whole town goes nuts for ships and seamen.

AudioCommunique #60(mp3)
29min, 64kbps, 13Mb+

Yes its Sail ’05 nightlife. I’m joined by the Mindcaster and my new friend C as we watch the fireworks, catch some live music, board the Portuguese ship “Sagres II”, and eventually end up at a bridge which is currently serving as a nightclub.

Photos via the Mindcaster.

During the journey we discuss: Amsterdam’s need for these crazy parties, Portuguese Hicks, Different Classes of ships, and more.

Music by:
Styx (of course) – Come Sail Away

Wander the Forests

The eyes are barely staying open. As you can tell by the lack of posts over the past 48 hours, I’ve done the rare thing and gone on a weekend getaway without my beloved powerbook. Fear not, I did bring my iriver and there will be an ardennes podcast ASAP.

Though the rule is never talk about work, take note all you new bloggers, don’t try this at home. This weekend getaway was work sactioned and I have to say – I love working at the fishtank because of these types of initiatives. Every few months we ge out, normally on the town, and spend time outside of work; eating, playing, generally goofing off. So this trip was an extra special one because it involved a caravan of 18 people driving to the great Ardennes forests of Belgium. And if you’re planning a journey to BENELUX, do yourself a favor and swing by SPA (yes, its where the spring water comes from) because there you will find true isolation and nature. If you like those two things.

Needless to say, it was a weekend filled with eating, dancing, nature-walking, and generally getting to know people that I see everyday yet never knew many things about them. For example, how many shots they could each handle. Or what a kickass pumpkin soup they could make. or the most interesting, that many of them CAN dance all night.

But what really sticks out in my head is work culture. And you’ll see me talking about it many times on this blog, the differences between jobs and job cultures, both across borders and sectors. I can’t say if its specifically Dutch, or academic, or international, but whatever it is – I really appreciate having a gig that involves such acitivities.

Taking Credit

Spin Spin Spin. It’s always about how they spin the news to make themselves look good. I’m not only talking about governments, I’m talking about all kinds of groups. And unfortunately, spin can be very dangerous, especially when it rewrites history and distorts facts.

The most recent example of this, what is going on right now in Gaza. The Israeli gov. is finally doing what they promised years ago, to leave the area in full control of the Palestinian authority. But sure enough, there’s a spin game to go with it.

Hamas and other militant groups, who have long preached that armed resistance will achieve a palestinian state, are taking these events and giving themselves credit. They give one of those unprovable statements that the Israeli withdrawal is a result of their very effective actions over the years. Of course they can say that, because it’s basically impossible to prove as even if it were true, the government would never admit such a thing.

But then you’ve got the Israeli government that claims this is their benevolent and strategic move. They say it’s necessary for security, and with the usual dose of disrespect, they refer to the Palestinian Authority as irresponsible children saying things like “you must prove you are capable of stopping terrorism… or else.”

Spin Spin Spin. Neither side wants to look weak. And the truth is… both sides are led by violent and weak politicians.

On the brighter side — Michael Moore is working on something related to Health Care in the US — I do hope it’s better than F-911 which was poor-in my opinion- in comparison with his past films.

Amsterdam Goes ShipCrazy

Amsterdam On the spot report:

Sail 2005 is going on just accross the street from the fishtank. For those who enjoy puns, their slogan is “Enjoy a World of Friendships.” Lunchbreak was a little too early and I didn’t get to see the ships come in… tall ships from all over the world.. including the lovely Sagres II from Portugal. Obviously this is where Ill be spending my evenings today and tomorrow.
If you’re reading this today, you may be able to watch it on the internet. Click here; you may have to click on the Sail2005 button.

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Gaza Withdrawal, the obsession with ratings, and a film recommendation.

AudioCommunique #59(mp3)
26min, 64kbps, 12Mb+

I mentioned:
Yeast Radio
2600.com
The film: Freedom Downtime

Music by:
Gil Scott-Heron – Revolution Will Not be Televised
Trembling Blue Stars – The Ghost of an Unkissed Kiss
Midtown – Nothing is ever what it seems
Faudel – Salsa Raï
Slackers – Stay Away