Partisan Hackery

I’ve been meaning to talk about the CIA documents on China which have been released, what the Dalai Lama said, and the evolving situation in Sudan. But I keep getting stuck on American elections stories. Perhaps it’s the Financial Times that included a one page collection of articles about all the flaws and irregularities of the voting system in the US. Or perhaps it’s the Dutch public television news program NOVA, that in the last weeks broadcasting from NYC, have had two of my favorites, Sy Hersh and Lewis Black, talking about the election. That Dutch host does a nice job, by the way. I still get impressed with the way he hosts the show in Dutch but conducts long interviews in English, and as far as I remember, it’s not even subtitled. I mean, I could do the same, but I like how he does it.

So today I take you to Colorado. I state I’ve never been to, and I really don’t know what I think of it. The only moment where I ever thought cool + Colorado was when Hunter S. ran for mayor of Aspen and barricaded himself, armed to the teeth in his cabin, on election night. OK maybe he wasn’t barricaded, but everyone seemed to be packin heat and expecting to be assaulted by crazy conservatives or the national guard.

I digress, Colorado. There’s a proposition on the table that I quite like. Prop. 36 Which reads like this:


    An initiated amendment to Article VII of the Colorado Constitution adding a new section requiring the proportional selection of presidential electors.

    ?Eliminates current system in which the presidential candidate receiving the most votes gets all of the state’s electoral votes.

    ?Apportions Colorado’s electoral votes based on the percentage of votes for each presidential candidate.

    ?Adds procedures and timelines to the state constitution for certifying election results and recounts, including the November 2004 presidential election.

I like this because it stops the winner-take-all stupidity. If half your state wants Ralph Nader, then 50% of your electoral votes go to him, instead of the usual everyone to one candidate, nevermind the huge percentage he didn’t vote for his ass. (cause its always a HE unfortunately)

During my house warming visit with Blonde But Bright yesterday, I noticed an article she had purposely left out for me in Time magazine. Those sons o’bitches at that centrist rag have been reading my blog! Instead of giving me credit for it, they went ahead and published a story which asks “Shouldn’t the whole world be able to vote in US elections.” Sound familiar? I mean, I believe in sharing, but you should give a brother some credit. I can’t for the life of me find the link, since their archive sucks so bad. Update later.

Today’s Sounds: Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks (thanks BBC Worldservice)

Blogstars

As I mentioned last week, sometimes bloggers go silent or missing. Often times they are amongst my favorites. This morning I found myself reading about the disastrous situation in Iraq and scrolling through my bloglines, I wondered how Chris Missick is doing. Since announcing he’d be moving to a new camp, A Line in the Sand has been silent for some weeks now, nothing but those comments from people who are constantly talking about “praying for him.” What an odd link, I often think, between being a soldier and praying alot. Would some supreme being really support the idea of its creations destroying each other? Doubtful. But that’s not my point, the point is, I miss his writing and I do worry about him.

Then there are the other reasons people also disappear – health. Sure enough, I mention his great post yesterday, and now TPB, Esq. is going on the DL (disabled list) to have some exploratory surgery on his back. He doesn’t trust doctors. I wouldn’t trust anyone who says they’re going to use a knife to explore parts of my body. TPB was one of the first blogs I ever really got into. I remember the post that converted me, he went to some blog convention and wrote about it with a gonzo-journalist style that reminded me of Hunter S. – Ho-Hum. Anyway, there goes another blogger than I’m worried about and will be missed until he makes a triumphant return.

It must seem odd, for some, to hear (or believe) that while I ride my bike through rainy Amsterdam streets, I actually think of or worry about other bloggers – who I’ve never met in person. But I guess it’s not for everyone to understand, unless you’ve lived it – like so many of us in the sphere.

Putting the finishing touches on my course outline for a Weblogging related course I’m pitching to the U of Amsterdam, and I added Salam Pax’s book/blog to the reading list. I had almost forgotten he had made his blog posts into a book entitled: “Salam Pax: The Clandestine Diary of an Ordinary Iraqi.” The amazon review calls him the Anne Frank of this century. At first my reaction is — slow down there buddy. But then again, maybe it is something like that. Still, Where is Raed? is one of those blogs which I wish didn’t have to die. I’m almost bitter at Salam, because he did his thing, got famous and then went on to do other things with his life. (bigger and better perhaps) The Torontonienne says maybe that’s how it works, at some point you don’t blog anymore, you start doing other things related to your experience; teaching, writing, crusading. Perhaps she is right, only time will tell.

Today’s Sounds: Jon Stewart on Crossfire (Its fun to replay)

Brain is Fogged Up

You ever wake up and feel unfunny? No? Well that’s what happened to me this morning. I have this cloud over me, an unfunny cloud. The only human who had to actually deal with that today was allstar- guestblogger the Torontonienne, who’s post I enjoyed and admittedly read over and over. Something about having a guest on my blog, it’s exciting, like having a guest at my place, only minus the Mat?. Or maybe I have some kind of fetish for Canadian theme towns? Whatever it is, I can promise you it’s not the last you see of that lovely Urban Planologist on this here blog.

Cute nephew alert! Credit my brother, Mr Foggy Recollection, for this photo, and credit both he and his wife for making one beautiful great pumpkin. After seeing this photo, I take comfort in the fact that I have purchased a round trip ticket to Jersey, with a 2 day stop in Lisbon of course! As if family and friends weren’t enough, there are great posts like Jamie’s latest on cranberries, or TPB at the meadowlands tattoo Convention, both of those make me miss my wacky garden state.

I swung by the Crazy Dr. M boat last night to polish off a bottle while discussing the finer points of computers, musicals, relationships (gasp), and blogging. Actually I become obsessed with the stack of voting guidebooks he had from his homestate of California, county, and city (San Diego, why not give it all away). I was shocked and impressed by the amount of information they load you up with as an absentee voter. Nevermind listing the candidates in nice neat lists, they have an mammoth list of propositions and then one whopper of a referendum on requiring small and medium businesses to provide health insurance to employees. BUT WAIT, don’t fall asleep yet – there’s more. They also list the pros and cons, drafted by legal experts, and then below- a list of who supports the yes or no vote. For example, on proposition 69 which seeks to limit the amount of clowns allowed in a clown car, Homey the Clown, president of the Ex-Con Clown Association of America, would be listed being against. While John M. Safety, president of the save drivers club, would be listed as for. Ok I confess, that example is real, California is a weird state. Point is, I thought it was an interesting way to approach the vote. I think other states might be quite different.

Crazy Dr. M showed me his sealed ballot, and he confessed to not having voted for Leonard Peltier and the Peace and Freedom party. I disagree with his decision, Peltier is one of my most favorite political prisoners of all time, and gets my vote for pres this year. He was nominated from prison, and I should also point out – has been recognized as a Political Prisoner by the UNHCR, Amnesty, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, and the European Parliament, to name a few. If anyone knows about what is a political prisoner, and then being president, surely Mandela does. Oh man, now I’m remembering that Chapelle Show skit- Mandela Bootcamp.

Today’s Sounds: Magnetic Fields (It’s all her fault!)

“The Petrolienne” ?

Althought the name bicyclemark gave me, the Torontonienne, is not a misnomer (I lived in Toronto for the past 7 years, and it is a home to me), my real roots stem from a town called Petrolia. And as bicyclemark heard this morning, this tiny (one stop light) town was the first town in North American to discover oil (hence the lovely name). The interesting thing is, that it wasnt until I was old enough to have traveled to several other areas, and reflect upon my hometown, that I realized I grew up in a THEME TOWN! (of sorts).

Some of the oil-theme features include:

street lights shaped like oil derricks; the following street names: Oil Street, Tank Street, Eureka Street (where they first struck the black gold, Eureka!!); a town mascot named Derrick the Oil Derrick (oh the cheese); one of 4 restaurants is named the Oil Rig; the bar the Pump House; oil-related tourism of course … and I m sure there are more.

Perhaps the touted Disneyfication/ Cultural Commodification phenomena that is talked about so much right now in urban studies is somehow related. Was the formal branding of Oil Town an economic-development strategy by the town of Petrolia? Apparently many communities are seeking economic revitalization through the development of theme towns. Coca cola town, Food Town, Bavarian town (in the USA, and allegedly an economic success), UFO/Alien theme, Wild West town. Yes, the oil history of Petrolia is authentic (which sets it appart from many self-created theme towns), but there was definitely a plan to market the theme. I mean, who decided to creat oil derrick lamp posts?



Keeping in bicyclemark tradition, heres a lil bit of Amsterdam. There is a Ferris Wheel is Dam Square. I like Ferris Wheels, they re fun, nostalgic, and you get a view of the city. But definitely not worth the 8 Euros someone told me one ride costs (hearsay, I didn t actually stand in line to find out the cost). What is the value of a Ferris Wheel ride? When does the experience outweigh the cost? I think I would pay 4 Euros.

Today’s Sounds: the magnetic fields – (i’m addicted)


This ol park 2 – The Revenge

Gather ’round fellow world citizens, because today’s installment of this ol’ park is choc full of history and adventure. OK, maybe just history and some photos, but still, it was a mini adventure in itself out there today. Kirsten Dunst’s twin aka Ms. Thingk, was looking as lovely as always and ready to accompany me on another park adventure on a sunny Amsterdam autumn afternoon. A far cry from the vastness and emptiness of last week’s Westerpark, this week we went to the small and bustling – Sarphatipark.

Yes, you might almost miss it if you ride too quickly through the wondrous Pijp neighborhood, but if you were to miss it, you’d be missing a crazy world of dogs, bridges, ducks, children and working folk on their lunch break. It’s hard to believe that during the last years of the Nazi occupation, this place was a garbage dump.

But let’s step back for a moment, who is this Sarphati guy and whats he got to do with anything?

Samuel Sarphati, or Sammy as I like to call him, was a master of urban planning and a new Amsterdam hero of mine. He was a doctor to the poor and visionary who thought up the crystal palace of Amsterdam. Sure it burned in one night – but what a great night it was, if not for a brief moment.

But Sammy was a revolutionary, he was tired of people dying of disease in the ‘dam, tired of shit in the streets and shitting in the street. He developed plans to make the manure, garbage and ash into kickass fertiziler, which explains the abundance of nice plants in this land. And man did the rich hate him. But who had the last laugh.. he got a street, nursing home, and a park named after him – not too shabby for a lifetime of being coughed on and drawing funny designs. If that weren’t enough, he and I share a common bond… Sammy was Portuguese, oh yes! First generation Portuguese-Jewish in Amsterdam, see, I knew I was following in great footsteps. I’m just gonna watch where I step, since he didn’t manage to rid the city of poop.

Like the man himself, Sarphatipark is a people’s park. Complete with lots of benches, kiddy park space, and a plant hospital. On any given day, from tourist-photographers to exchange students from Holland, MICHIGAN, there’s no telling what simple beauty you might find in this park. Bicyclemark gives it, two urban planning thumbs up.

Something else I must pay tribute to is Bitch PhD’s recent post on abortion and motherhood. This is one of those posts that, for me, embodies why blogging is such a powerful and important means of communication and expression. I may have never lived it, but reading professor B, I feel that much closer to understanding what goes through a mothers mind. I have nothing to add to such a clear and powerful text.

Final note today: The blog vacation has been cancelled, no Brussel Sprouts for me. However the Torontonienne will be guestblogging on the communqu? this weekend, looking forward to that.

Today’s Sounds: Iron & Wine – EP

The Drock Files

Sometimes Drock writes me emails that are works of art… modern art… pop art. So without further adue… another one from the D-Rock files:


    Bicyclemark writes: I just remembered something… flashback… you wrote a check to me before I left DC… you were all fuckin sleepy… and in the memo part you wrote “Hot Sex”

    As if that shit wasn’t funny enough… I passed that check to dad for him to deposit… man did I feel weird handing my dad a check with a memo “hot sex” I just said to him ” dont mine the memo.. thats Drock being funny.

    Dad said nothing.

    Drock replies: Yeah that shit was fun…the check thing… I think your dad wrote in “Sextet” to hide the pain

By now you must be ready to spontaneously combust after those US presidential debates. I never heard so much goddam agreeing, once again I swear they were gonna make out on stage. They both love guns, war, xenophobia, faux tax cuts, religion, the middle class, the American worker and announcing that they have “a plan.” You can try focusing on the differences all you want, but the sad truth is, there aren’t that many. So in all my cynicism and nylism… I seek inner political peace. And miniclip.com has provided just the Oasis I need. Experience for yourself the joy of “The Hip-Hop Presidential Debate.” My personal favorite move is the W “Money Walk”, plus his gang of Baby Rice, Hollyburton, and Big C look like one badass crew. While you’re there look into Royal Rampage, where GWB and the Queen shoot up the town. Actually the list of fun goes on, most involving Bush and Kerry in awkward positions.

Moving away from that dead horse, I’ve come to the conclusion that the Deconstructionist– aka Asia- is studying to be a brain surgeon. Thus making her the first future brain surgeon blog that I read, which is quite exciting. I’m hoping I learn more about my own melon through her teachings. Plus, if that weren’t enough, she’s interested in BOTH pinball AND history. Two very intensive disciplines, both of which require good thumbs.

This weekend being my first ever time off since becoming a daily blogger, I’ve started to worry about the effects of so much writing on my wrists. My desk is actually a table and its far to high off the ground in relation to my chair. I’m like a toddler reaching for the cookie jar… for hours at a time. Whenever I read about Tony Pierce’s arm problems… spiders crawling up his arms… I worry about my own future. Then again.. he is 111 years old, and did have a great love affair with Anna Kournikova (photoessay alert – click through), so maybe there are benefits.

Today’s Sounds: Stars – Live Last Night.. still echoing in my head