Back to Her Island

The women of my life don’t get nearly the amount of blog attention they deserve. This could be due to the fact that since the blog began, more than 4 years ago, I’ve never found myself with a girlfriend. Still there have been times where I mentioned or should have mentioned a special female in my life regardless of the fact that its not “romanticly” related.

So this evening when the phone lit up, I saw that it was the Fleur, and remembered that she’d be returning to her island at some point this weekend. You may recall me talking about island girl long ago, as she lives 6 months out of the year in the Azores (the Portuguese archipalego), and studies whales and dolphins.

Every year around this time, there’s usually an email or a sms or a phonecall saying “ciao bicyclemark, see you in the fall”. It’s like the passing of the seasons; springtime arrives and the Fleur must return to her island. It’s an anual occasion that always sounds exciting to me, as I’ve long hoped to go see more of the Azores and see first-hand the incredibly beautiful work she does there.

As I learned from her phonecall, the journey begins again in a few hours. We didn’t get to do an in-person goodbye, which is normal. But these past six months I’ve grown more attached than in the past. Maybe it’s because as you get older you become more choosey about who your friends are and who you’ll spend quality time with. Through our occasional swimming evenings and dinners, I guess that’s what I was doing.

Anyone who’s ever lived in Amsterdam knows that that’s how it is. People come and go, and they usually return – so no worries, don’t make too big a fuss with goodbyes. And so I decided that this year I would do better than that, the world could use some interesting podcasts about the ocean, whales & dolphins, and these very unique islands – come September, I’m gonna find a way to get myself to the Azores. Island girl, I’ll see you in a few months.

(and if you’re reading this right now the Fleur, smile, the internets are watching.)

==ps== for the podcast listeners, slightly delayed this weekend, to give you a chance to catch up and me a chance to play in a frisbee tournament.

Dams and Boats Weekend

This boating thing could really make one forget about all the problems in the world. I smell complacency everytime I lie back and stare at the cyclists riding by. Maybe it would help if I brought my powerbook and parked where I could catch some wifi and from there I could keep abreast to all the things happenning in different corners of the world. I was so busy learning how to manage the vessel today, I actually forgot to take photos or video – imagine that!

be040625But instead of going on and on about this very shallow reflection on canal cruising life, I think it would be better if I recommend you a blogger and an ongoing story that effects the lives of hundreds if not thousands: Dilip in Bombay is doing some excellent blog-journalism on dam building in India; specifically the Narmada Dam project. It’s an issue I have always come back to and has always stuck out in my mind. Mostly the influence of both a former professor of mine from India and the great Arundhati Roy, of course. I recommend his posts from this past week to get an idea and detailed arguements on the issue regarding the who, what, and why.

Meanwhile I’m off to sleep where I’ll likely dream about perfect boat parking spaces and ultimate frisbee tournaments. Apathy can’t be too far away.

Easter Egg Hunt Redux – A Vlog

Naturally I can not close the book on easter without putting out a vlog. This one features my family in Belgium; specifically my cousins, as they scour their yard for eggs and gifts. The little dialogue there is in mostly in French, some in Portuguese. If you listen close you’ll hear me in French for the first time ever in a vlog. But really you don’t need to speak any language to soak in the overal feeling. Oh, and the tune is from my fellow Portuguese Amsterdam resident Fernando Lameirinhas.

Watch the Video

And since professor Chris Weagel of Human-dog productions has been poking around this blog, it’s a good time to recommend his team of scientists’ hard work.

In Cold Blog

I’ve not yet read Truman Capote, but I’m going to. Like so many media consumers these days, I had to first see the recent movie about his work on the book “In Cold Blood” to get inspired to read the actual book. Sad but true.

In Cold Blood was about the murder of an entire family in some middle-america, dustbowl state. More specifically, it was about the accused and later convicted killers; their lives, their childhood, everything about them up to and including the crimes and later on death row. Capote was able to gain/buy access to sit with one of the two men everyday for I don’t remember how long. And just based on what I saw in the film, you can see through Capote and for yourself just how human and how fragile and lost these men are. Though some might say it was an act, there’s something very familiar and perhaps even endearing about the one particular guy. And of course this makes for a very grey sort of outlook on things: there you sit talking to someone who killed a whole family, yet there you sit sitting with a very polite, scared, confused, and damaged human being. Naturally many people don’t ever want to hear such a thing, a killer is a killer is a killer is a killer and they are terrible and must get a chair or an injection or gas etc. I’m aware of this reasoning, but clearly I’m not of that opinion.

Photo Hosted at Buzznet.comI present all this to you today because I’ve been reading and re-reading blog posts by Tony Pierce, Emmanuelle, and this other blog I just randomly searched for; all about the blogger from Oklahoma, Kevin Underwood, who recently murdered and planned to eat a 10 year old girl. I’m actually not sure if he’s been convicted yet so I should rephrase that, but it seems the authorities are quite certain about this. So all day long I’ve been reading his blog, which I think everyone should continue to have a right to read. You may not find it exciting. In fact, it’s downright boring. But considering what has happened, I’ve been skimming it looking for real posts where he talks about his feelings and thoughts, and as Tony said in his post – he clearly has a great deal of social anxiety. As you read, you see that he was extremely depressed and went on medication, but then stopped taking it for some reason. He was also constantly tormented with the desire to be close to someone yet the inability to get near anyone. He frequently mentions not feeling like a normal person and the headaches and the extreme boredom with life. – All things you will find in blogs anywhere on the internets. Which is about where I start to think of Truman Capote and In Cold Blood.

There will be no great conclusion to this post, as I’m still pouring over the entries and trying to look behind the words and understand what was going on. I suspect lots of things, including mental illness. Now being mentally ill doesn’t mean you’ll murder a little girl and want to eat her. But can it go that far, that someone becomes psychotic? Judging by his writing, the familiar themes the blog contains, I would say this blog could be his In Cold Blood.

To Be Continued — Im going to consult some mental health experts and report back.

bm122 Fallout from the Financial Crisis of the Palestinian Authority

Only a month ago the international community was demanding and encouraging free and fair elections in Palestine. But then HAMAS was elected, ever since then the international community has turned their back on the new government, withheld funds, and are now holding them partially responsible for any violence against Israel. What story do the numbers tell? What’s left of the budget without that aid money? And what about the effectiveness of the age-old strategy known as “we don’t negociate with terrorists,” or in this case: a party with ties to suicide bombing and the use of violence, now with a newfound political responsibility for the lives of over 2 million people. Where will this political and financial stalemate take us?

AudioCommunique #122 (mp3)

Some Links:

CIA WFB on the West Bank
Israel Withholds Taxes
Palestinian Budget
Calls from Within Hamas for a new era

Music:
Faudel – Aveuglé par l’amour
Final Fantasy – None of you will ever see a penny
Elvis Costello – the other side of town
Talib Kweli – Get By

——
podcast made possible by you the listener and also Springheeljack.net

In the Middle of Crowded Train, Im reading Freud

Before getting fully back into Freud’s Civilization and Its Discontents on the insanely crowded trainride back from Brussels, I was catching up on my world news by reading the wonderful courrier international. Among the items that most made me think and inspired me to research further: the Hungarian elections.

I know, I know. It is so often about elections with me and this blog. But you see, it’s not that I like the game, it’s that I worry about the people who hang in the balance depending on the game’s outcome. So I can’t turn away (like so many do!) and say “ooh, I don’t like politics”; it has nothing to do with liking politics, it is all about keeping watch to see what kind of changes are in store for which people of the world.

Anyway so while everyone, including myself, had their eyes glued to the Italian mish-mosh last week that barely managed to push Berlusconi out, Hungary was also having elections. It was only the first round, but the Hungarian Socialist Party came out on top. Which means they’re that much closer to re-electing the Socialist-Liberal coalition that was running the show already.

I’m particularly interested in how life has changed for Hungarians since becoming part of the EU. Obviously I don’t expect magic or people suddenly doing wonderfully, but Im curious if its had any effect. Beyond that, I want to hear from people there.. which is why I’m actively browsing the Hungarian blogosphere and have landed on the excellent blog entitled “Hungarian Accent”.

Of course, I also have a friend who just moved from the US to Budapest. D-rock once visited the fair country. And Ashbloem, I believe, is a hardcore Hungarofile (Magyarfile?). Clearly I’m somewhat connected to the country already.

PS- Its sunday so there is a new vlog post on my vlog, if anyone’s interested. It’s rather simple and without message today.