history – Page 21 – Citizen Reporter

Albania Fever

Since I think I might be sick, it is a good time to mention Albania!

My cousin was just on the skypes telling me all about his recent work-trip to Tirana, Albania. Now I’m convinced I should have gone there and I need to go there.

Richard kept mentioning during our recent journey, that we should head to Albania because no one is there yet and there’s probably still this feeling of chaos and rebuilding. Seems alot of that is true. I’ve been reading up (wikipedia unfortunately); Albania was in a very unique kind of catatonic isolation til the late eighties, early nineties. The history is amazing, dating back to prehistory in fact. If I didn’t feel sick I might have more to say about it.. but maybe you’ll look it up yourself sometime.. or visit there, like I will! (whenever that will be, I have no idea)

More Wikipedia Trouble

Longtime readers, listeners, and viewers of my humble communique may recall my fued with wikipedia. For those who don’t remember, use the search box; but basically I got banned from touching information on my own life and work, and then the entry about this blog and related activities was completely deleted. Course, then came the podcast with the editor from wikipedia where we officially learned that they do alot of picking and choosing about what IS important and what ISNT.

I decided it didn’t matter. I like wikipedia for some information, and I don’t like it for other things. I figured life would go on this way, but they’ve shown more signs of poor judgement. Read Tony Pierce’s experience; a man who has been blogging and blogging hard, forever. He’s had aventures, and all sorts of trials and tribulations, he has groupies, and all sorts of run-ins with trouble, but somehow wikipedia decided he’s no good and they’ve banned him too, I think. (update: madge weinstein is on their target list as well!?!)

I went back to look at what happens when you use my name as BM or simply my fullname, and what comes up. It seems, apart from having been part of Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution, more of my past projects have been deleted, including the big entry that was up for over 3 years about One Cool Guy, a once beloved third wave ska band from New Jersey.

This bothers me not only because it is about me, though I will confess to being too nascisitic with this stuff.. but hell.. I am a blogger. But what really bothers me is being erased. I can’t remember half the stories that were compiled in those entries, and with my birthday coming up on Sunday, I’m sure to forget lots of the small details that are so fun and interesting to have recorded and reported on the internet. I can imagine others will suffer the same fate, because this hugely popular and highly useful site is so plagued with counterproductive rules and incompetant editors.

What do to? Many will say — dont use it! And I like the idea, but Ill still use it.. its much too handy for some things.

I am interested in an alternative. So i googled… alternative to wikipedia. And what do you know… I present to you.. Citizendium! Odd title. yes. And yes.. it isn’t quite ready. But it has some important differences, I think. Actually I still don’t know what to think. But Im ready to sign up to participate in the pilot project. In their founding text it states:

we want to create a responsible community and a good global citizen.

Sounds like my kind of project.

bm170 Venice and the Crusades

The idea behind this podcast begins in the alleyways of Venice, only a few days ago. When observing the buildings and reading the history, one particular period stood out for me as significant to everything happening today. Listen to my amateur-armchair history summary and hear the shocking list of parallels between the Venice of 1200 and the Venices of today.

Links:
Univ of Wisconsin archive on the Crusades
Wikipedia, if you can stand it

Venice the Menace

Imagine a world with no cars, buses, metro’s, scooters, or even BIKES.

Now throw in water everywhere, buildings dating back to 1000 something, and a couple of hundred thousand tourists.

Doesn’t it sound appealing?

Strangely enough, I kid Venice, but I like Venice. I often thoughtlessly refer to it as a tourist trap, but it is really much more than that. – It’s a sinking tourist trap with overly expensive food. HIYOO.

But seriously folks, despite all the useless and neverending trinkets Venetians are trying to push on everyone. Even though certain canals stink like a pile of wet garbage. While it may feel more like disneyland than italy sometimes, complete with stereotypical loud talking American tourists. Despite all these factors that a unemployed snob like myself might never enjoy.. the truth is.. I like it.

YES thats right. I admit to liking Venice. There is this feeling in the air… like the Venetian republic is still alive and they still rule the adriatic sea. You can put away the tourist map and just walk and follow your instincts… to find something unexpected and wonderful. No matter how crowded it seems, you pick a path and end up completely alone with your thoughts and the deep history that pours out of the walls here.

And while it may soon be lost to sea – probably in my lifetime – it still seems like a place where people are making the most of the present. And setting up beautiful lowcost hotels with feewifi, breakfastl and reasonable staff . Yes Venice is good for the soul.. I’ve made up my mind.

bm169 Ljubljana and a Tourists History of the Region

Arch Duke Ferdinand, Austria-Hungarian Empire, Serbian Nationalism, and how exactly did things end up like this in this part of the world? Richard and I ask these questions and I try to answer them, all in this podcast from Ljubljana.

BBC’s History of the former Yugoslavia

Music:

Just google Slovenian Folk Music, I’m working on buying a disc or two.

Slovenia.. not Slovakia..

Greetings from Ljubjana.. presumably beautiful capital of Slovenia. I wouldnt know because I arrived at night and went directly to the neverending line of buses at the bus stop. But now it is morning.. and as soon as I check out of this rediculous half-assed hostel, I shall really have a look around and enjoy what it has to offer.

(photo is a leftover from Verona)

Here’s text I wrote last night:

I could stay on this train forever. It is clean, it is quiet, it is amazingly comfortable, and we are travelling in a land I have never been to in my life.

I write this post from the international high speed train from Venice, Italy, destination Ljubjiana, Slovenia.

I love this train.

Funny thing, to get into Venice this afternoon with only enough time to walk out the door of the train station, snap some shots, buy a sandwich, and quickly get on this train out of town.

Some would say it was shame to miss out on the beauty of Venice. Tis true, it is beautiful. It is exactly as I remember it when I came to spend Carnivale here in the year 2000. Back then, it was my Polish-American friend Jacek and I, travelling for a week in Italy, taking a break from our studies in Aix-en-Provence, France.
But I’m much too excited to see Slovenia and get to know it a little bit.

I’ve been reading up on its amazing history. The story of it’s independence from Yugoslavia in the 90’s. The story of this part of the world in ancient times. It is nothing short of fascinating to see all the different cultures and groups that passed through here and settled, at one time or another.

Add one more to that list… 2006; Portuguese-American podjournalist speeds in on a Slovenian rail pendular train for his first ever visit.

A few nights ago, I was talking with a friend in Paris about life and how things haven’t been working out for me lately and all the uncertainties in my own life. She reminded me of the good life I have.. which, at the time, I argued was not all it is cracked up to be.

Adventures like this, small as they may be, i remember that she’s right.