Nature and Trash

It’s important to get out of your daily routine and get back to nature, even if you didn’t really come from nature to begin with, you can go back and pretend. That’s what the staff of the international school and I did today. A boat ride around the Biesbosch just outside Dordrecht was both educational and completely relaxing. Plus I got to speak Dutch, which is always a welcome exercise in a different environment. The Biesbosch is a huge national park which was largely planned, in typical Dutch style, in the early 20th century. I’m always impressed with the strong mix of environmental consciousness and manipulation that they incorporate all over the country. I think in the states the choice is more for the manipulating, than anything else.

We also visited Dordrecht an extremely old city near Rotterdam. It was so quiet, and so picturesque, made me wonder if I’m not missing out on the calm life living in Amsterdam. Naaah.

I wanted to share the following two photos: the first is a typical houseboat in Dordrecht, which I’m sure I could never afford, notice the clothes hangin out to dry

This second photo will be of particular interest to my friends at 2600.

A woman was taking out her trash. She had the usual black garbage bag with her, and she walked across the street from her home, and instead of just opening the lid to this container, she pulled out a scannable keycard! We stopped our tour and immediately asked what she was doing. I found the explanation extremely odd, she said that it ensures that only people in this neighborhood could use this trash container. She also said something about taxes and different neighborhood trash systems. I still don’t get it, anybody heard of this?

A bit of lighter news, I’m now using google’s new gmail as a betatester. Blogger users can now sign up for their own @gmail.com accounts. So far I think it’s nice, 1000 MB is a welcome factor. No sign of those “related to my email content” ads, yet.

Today’s Music: The Rasmus – Into

Besides Red, White, and Black

WE INTERRUPT THIS POST TO WISH EVERYONE A HAPPY REVOLUTION DAY! 25 DE ABRIL 1974



Yes it has been 30 years since Portugal’s carnation revolution. I can’t tell you how much I wish I was in Lisbon this weekend. This is perhaps my most favorite holiday ever, and today is the 30th anniversary. 30 years since the dictatorship fell, since soldiers peacefully overthrew the fascists, and marched through the streets with carnations in their guns. I’ll start my morning by playing the once banned revolution songs, just like they did on the radio that morning. For more try this.

_______________________________

A few hours today and last night were set aside to attend the Socalist Fest 2004(not the official name) with a kind friend, here in Amsterdam. I went because I’m always curious to hear passionate speakers, and spend time with eclectic grassroots groups. That and I have an affinity for old bearded marxists, pechuli scent, and clever block-text posters/t-shirts. Here’s what was on sale at the conference today.

Well, to my disappointment the speeches suffered from the same sickness many of these conferences suffer from. “Preachin to the choir.” Everyone who showed up already knew that they were against the war, against the right wing conservative governments world wide, and critical of globalization. The only purpose, therefore, getting together served was just to provide them with an auditorium to shout at each other in. I dig shouting, but I was bored. My friend said it best: “Why don’t we leftists stop repeating the same old slogans and make new strategies, why do our tshirts only have black, red and white on them – there are more colors to be used!”

I was mildy amused by the forum I attended “The Other America” which I went to hoping to talk about the Michael Harrington book. No such luck. Instead it was some Dutchman/American Labor Historian who seemed to insist that unions would be the force to save America from the right wing hawks. I’m a proud union member, but this guy really needed to get his head out of the books, unions have been on the run for decades, they’re too busy trying to stay above water, no time to occupy the whitehouse. Oddly enough I said nothing throughout the forum, I sat in silence listening to some well-informed yet rather broken analysis of how to change the US. One point that is worth passing on, these folks would love to be able to vote in a US election, and due to the way it influences the world, they’d like the whole world to be able to vote in US presidental elections. Logistically and legally impossible, but it illustrates a point. When do you hear someone in the states saying “Man, we should be able to vote for the PM in the Netherlands.”

Oh, I’ve added that clever gentleman – Tom Tomorrow, to my blogroll. You know… the guy who does the great comics.

Today’s Music: Johnny Cash & Willie Nelson – Storytellers

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