bicyclemark

Floating table of death

What really made my week: my houseboat neighbors slapping together a pseudo boat, just in time for Koninginnedag (Queens Day) It started several months ago, as far as I can tell something like 2 guys in this place, and they got this big black raft. They slapped an unreliable engine on there, and cruised around on this hideous thing with blue smoke spouting out of the engine. Now, I suppose because of the coming holiday festivities, they attached a big square piece of plywood ontop of the raft. Add four chairs and a coffee table, and voila, a stylish new boat. I love it. I do suspect, however, that if one has a few drinks and lays back in one of these chairs, you end up in the canal. All this means Queens Day is gonna rock.

I was clicking around the Morning News this evening (how ironic!), and somehow I came across Saddams Interrogation Log by Brian M. Sack. I found it to be witty and I predict, quite accurate. For example, this entry:

Interrogation commenced: 2210 hours

I played chess with SH, who is not too bad a chess player. At one point, my bishop took his rook. I told him that in the U.S., when you lose your rook to a bishop, it is customary to divulge a little personal secret, like maybe where the WMD are. He said we weren’t in the U.S., then he took my pawn with the horse piece.

Interrogation terminated: 0122 hours

It really made me wonder lots of random things about the man himself. Specifically, will we ever hear his side of the story? More importantly, hearing about all his connections with the different governments around the world. (US, Russia, Yugoslavia) Too bad they’ll end up forming some kangeroo court that won’t really help reveal any new information, other than shouting “WHERE ARE THE WMD’S” every five minutes. I did manage to discover Saddam’s blog, though I find the author’s work to be subpar, like Saddam himself.

Today’s Music: Broken Social Scene – You Forgot the People (thanks C!)

Hate Peddler

It is not often that one particular article can cause me to get so upset and generally horrified about the author and anyone who might believe in him/her. But the latest issue of Foreign Policy has an article written by Sam P. Huntington, that gets my vote for most awful article of the year. Why so awful? Because his article is basically a warning to the United States that Mexican Americans are a threat to the American way of life. He claims that Mexicans are becoming a huge percentage of the population, refuse to stop speaking Spanish, keep a low quality of life, and do not assimilate to the “American Dream.”

Let me just provide a few excerpts, if I can avoid throwing up:

“American identity is now defined in terms of culture and creed. Most Americans see the creed as the crucial element of their national identity. The creed, however, was the product of the distinct Anglo-Protestant culture of the founding settlers. Key elements of that culture include the English language; Christianity; religious commitment; English concepts of the rule of law, including the responsibility of rulers and the rights of individuals; and dissenting Protestant values of individualism, the work ethic, and the belief that humans have the ability and the duty to try to create a heaven on earth”

“Demographically, socially, and culturally, the reconquista (re-conquest) of the Southwest United States by Mexican immigrants is well underway.”

“As their numbers increase, Mexican Americans feel increasingly comfortable with their own culture and often contemptuous of American culture. They demand recognition of their culture and the historic Mexican identity of the U.S. Southwest.

The transformation of the United States into a country like these would not necessarily be the end of the world; it would, however, be the end of the America we have known for more than three centuries. Americans should not let that change happen unless they are convinced that this new nation would be a better one.”

Huntington, while trying to act very “matter a fact”about his conclusions, seems quite scared. Maybe I can help calm him.

Bicyclemark’s Open Letter to S.P.H.’s article “The Hispanic Challenge”

Dear Mr. Huntington,

I have more news from the front lines of the “ethnic” war. Be afraid. Be very afraid. The Mexicans and other Spanish speaking cultures are not the only threat to your white anglo-protestant paradise!

Let me explain… I may be writing and speaking English, but I’m a proud Portuguese-American. YES! I speak Portuguese at home, and also on the street with the now close to 1 million Portuguese people who make their life in the US. We teach our children the language, we have traditional festivals, and worst of all – we’re not anglo-protestant!

It gets worse, there are Polish folks in my home city! YES! They speak to each other in Polish, and I hear they have language schools as well! They go back to Poland often, and some dream of going back, or staying here, YOU NEVER KNOW!! Mr. Huntington things only get worse for you and your friends, because I’ve heard the Russians, Chinese, Koreans, Jordanians, Turks, Haitians… they’re all here! Would you believe they call themselves American? But they don’t like baseball… hamburgers.. and hostile take-overs – America is doomed!

I’m writing to forewarn you, lock your doors, don’t listen to the radio, don’t talk to the neighbors. There are more of us then there are of you. If you survive this “invasion” we might even help you build your little elks-lodge, like the good anglo-protestants like to do.

Our sweat is the oil that keeps the machinery of this and many other nations, going. We built this place! In the end sir, neither you nor some old white men in Washington decide what the American dream is. We do.

Stay safe out there,

Bicyclemark

Today’s Music: Bright Eyes – Bowl of Oranges

I want my grapes with Seeds

Progress is made, at a very slow pace. The proposal is slowly being rebuilt, and in the process – I’m discovering new weblogs and uses for weblogs. Though I could do without the excessively clever titles. I’ve managed to sneak away from the writing process for a few hours this weekend to have a mexican dinner and to visit a neighbor, refreshing breaks. At the Mexican restaurant I noticed they sell national products. One of them was a wrestling mask, you know, a major export from Mexico are the Lucha Libre wrestlers. Ahhh…I remember the days of masks in wrestling. I mean… ahem.. I don’t watch that crap… right.

I did some following up on a story reported on Off the Hook last week. The US govenment carries out 1500 court ordered wire-taps per year. Of those, 30% are in the NYC area! 30%!! It seems they love listening in and assume that all the juicy conversations are near the big apple. So if you want a nice un-monitored conversation, I recommend Montana or Alabama. Apparently the AG of NY, Elliott Spitzer is all gung-ho about carrying out more and more wire-taps to fight bad guys. Or listen-in on anyone he pleases. One of his concerns is that fun option called PTT that Nextel users have, that direct walky-talkie function that goes “beepedybeep.” Apparently you’re not allowed to tap those yet. At least until now. One more reason I don’t use the phone even in the Netherlands, don’t feel like being accused of anything, besides poor humor.

Today’s Music: Willie Nelson – Great Divide (don’t knock it til you’ve tried it)

Back Against that Wall Over There

Slight crisis in my world, my PhD proposal got heavily criticized by an important scholar. I still have one month to get it ship-shape, but this is a major setback, and from now til then I’ll be working day and night on it. Of course, with time to join a picnic is Oosterpark, as I did today. It’s officially park season in Amsterdam, thanks to sunny weather combined with the desire to be outside equals almost one million people flocking to tiny parks. A Canadian friend once denounced this city for its “lack of nature,” I told her – at the time – that it is just enough nature for me. Upon further reflection, she’s kind of right. Still, all you have to do is ride in any direction for 25 minutes and you’ll find yourself in nature… of some sort.

I found myself rummaging through that garage sale of shadey information, the whitehouse website, not to be mistaken with that other whitehouse on the web. What really disturbs me, besides the images and basically most of the words, are the menu options. The list looks like this:

Issues

Education

Iraq

National Security

Economic Security

Homeland Security

More Issues

En Espanol

Note, this is obviously how the whitehouse would like you to think of W and the administration. It doesn’t mean they’re actually any good at any of this. Nice attempt to get the Spanish speaking voters as well, not that the administration has ever done a thing for them. And furthermore, talk about scare-tactics, notice all the times SECURITY is mentioned. What the hell is the difference between National and Homeland Security anyway? What a waste of money and energy.

Going over Michael Moore’s latest letter, he mentions two interesting things: 1- As you might know, his film Farenheit 911 will be out soon, I believe it’s about the relations between the Bush and Bin Laden families. But the real shocker for me was 2- Some researchers, working for him, are in Iraq, and according to him: When Americans arrive in Iraq, there’s no need to show a passport! Why? Because it’s considered an American territory! Welcome to the American Colony of Iraq, please mind the armed gunmen.

PS – I hear M. Moore getting alot of criticism for his popularity and style. After reading his messages for over 4 years now, I’d like to say that I’m an admirer and a supporter of Mike’s Militia, the world needs more like him.

Today’s Music: David Byrne – Grown Backwards

Who knows blog about blog

I’d like to remind readers that I fully intend to publish this blog every other day usually around this time. Despite my recent lapse for an extra day or so, I just wanted to renew that garuntee. I appreciate those who come here to read, especially those who come back regularly. In an inexplicable manner, my daily routine has been turned on its head by a certain individual in the city of brotherly love. A welcome change, I assure you. Along with the whistling birds who seem to have just showed up this week for the first time this year… takes a bit of getting used to… they’re my new alarm clocks.

The CS Monitor published a piece on weblogs. I thought it was generally weak and a bit cynical about the power of the blog. On the bright side, it did include comments from Rebecca Blood, someone I respect very much, an excellent theorist about the blogosphere.

Yesterday was election day in South Africa. Despite the usual problems of democracies in general, I find SA’s elections to always be inspiring and interesting. That could just be the naive romanticism that I still carry from the anti-apartheid movement. Yes, I’m one of those who still gets a thrill out of watching Cry Freedom, and I sing along to “Biko.” Nevertheless, the spirit and the respect for the act of voting that the country shows should make western democracies blush. Would you ever see such an image at any polling station in NJ? Or the UK?:

Today’s Music: Jets to Brazil – Perfecting Lonliness and DCFC – Transatlanticism

THEME: EGGS

Eggs have haunted me lately. Follow me on this egg-journey:

In my diet, I try to keep eggs to a minimum. An omlette maybe twice a month, and never consisting of more than one egg. It’s just my personal preference. The only egg that I have been eating alot of lately, is the Dutch chocolate kind. Oh man, Dutch choco eggs… with their numerous flavors.. seems like everyone is just handing them to you whenever you step outside. (which is why I stay close to my pc)

So as part of my ex-pat Easter feaster contribution, I made a super-potent choco-moooooooooose (as mentioned in last entry) and my top-secret Jamie Oliver recipe calls for eggs. As I’m breaking these two poor little guys open, I kept thinking.. what a disgusting concept.. eating the embryo of an animal. Doesn’t that sound cruel? I think it looks disgusting as well. But sure enough it did create an awesome mousse, which my fellow dinner guests very efficiently and happily engulfed somewhere between the sweet patato and the after dinner Amsterdam-ritual.

Still, as I’m mixing in those eggs, and digesting some chocolate ones, I start daydreaming of the concept of eating eggs. All these politicians and other assorted zealots want to legally protect everything from the fertilized egg, embroyo, and the fetus, yet I bet they all have eggs in their meals. Disgusting! (I believe Michael Moore was calling for a protection of all the lost sperm that men so carelessly dispose of – now there’s a real cause!) Flipping through this week’s news, I noticed these folks at work again.. this time led by their crown-prince: GW BUSH, who passed a new Unborn Victims of Violence Act. As usual its a bill championed by men, telling women what to do with their own bodies. Furthermore, it has been pointed out that this act leaves no possibility of taking account a woman’s health during pregnancy. (complications, etc.)

So I’ve basically had my fill of egg talk. No more thank you.

Today’s Music: Charlie Haden & Pat Methany