Tag Archives: history

Dark Days Indeed

Abu Ammar is dying. As this text is written, a lifetime of struggle must be passing through his mind, as the machines take control over his fading existence. He might be thinking how much he wanted to visit the beaches of Tunisia once more, or how he’ll never get the chance to be on the Daily Show with that Jon Stewart who cracks him up. And I can only imagine he regrets the way things have gone over the past years.

Some people in power have tried (successfully) to marginalize him in these last years, while his people live in despair, and the Berlin Wall part 2 is built, he himself has been trapped in a legendary “compound” for over two years. They’ve tried to say he is responsible. They’ve tried to re-write history and call his people’s struggle a terrorist movement. When a bombing occurs, they blame him for not magically stopping it. If they could, they’d go into the Nobel records and erase his name from the co-peace prize he received with Rabin, and Peres. (then again, so would I, to take away Kissinger’s)

It is almost as if his death is a victory for those who have been burying him for years. Ironic that the junior world leader who has baptized him as irrelevant has been re-elected. A leader who has less than 4 years experience with world affairs compared to a man who was born without a country and has been on the international scene since the late 50’s.

Was he a saint? Probably not. Did he encourage or allow violence amongst his people? He fought in a civil war, so yes. Did he live a comfortable life while his people lived in misery? Possibly, like most leaders.

But was he loved? -most certainly. Did he actively contribute to the Oslo Accords, and other peace negotiations- clearly. Is he one of the most recognized and talked about cats in the history of the middle east (or the world) – YES.

And for that reason this is my blog tribute to the man. Love him or hate him, none of us really knew the man. All we knew was what media tells us, mixed with testimony from those who experienced first hand the complexities of the region’s situation. I’m saddened by his death, if indeed he passes in the coming hours or days. I believe, after a lifetime of war, death, watching all the suffering – on both sides- he had the wisdom and the will to negociate a lasting peace. I realize many will disagree… others will get angry and shout curses. But these are my thoughts as a lowly world citizen. And so I raise my glass, and bid farewell, to one of the classic faces in world history – ARAFAT.

Today’s Sounds: Sveriges Radio – Swedish Public Radio playing Faith No More

Exile Consultant

(bloggers problems have been killing me today, trying to blog all day)

By now you’ve been walking around the internet and taking it all in. As No Coins said, the web is a bit depressing today. Lots of folks angry, sad, disappointing, shocked, etc. More folks talking about moving, to Canada (the campaign has begun!), etc. This idea is one I can speak on, and maybe I have special insight as an almost 4 year expat.

In an effort to get you through the despair, I present:

BICYCLEMARK’s HOW TO COPE LIST


    – Call a friend or a relative and yell alot, use lots of curses, let it out.

    – Daily Show. Lots and lots of Daily Show, plenty of material now.

    – Turn to drinking, the last legal drug until the administration brings back prohibition.

    – The Surreal Life; it may be old news where you live. But this show can keep you entertained for a good hour every week. Washed up 80’s/90’s entertainers living together. I’ve determined that Ron Jeremy is a good guy and Eric Estrada should run for president. (since brains don’t matter)

    – Get to know other bloggers, today I had dinner with JAmie of The Known Universe and friends, he’s in the dam for a few days, and it was good fun to get to know the man in person.

    – Plot assassination. (I heard its illegal, but you could call it a pre-emptive strike)

    – Move to Europe, S. America, Asia, Australia, or Africa. I especially recommend Ireland, cause the economy is strong, Thailand where the people are wonderful (not to mention beautiful), S. Korea where you can teach English, and Brazil where Lula is doing a kickass job.

    – Move to Amsterdam, I can help.. but it does require some work. In no time we’ll have you riding your grandma bike, searching for another temporary apartment, and spending 4 hours with the same hot chocolate at a cozy caf? that used to be a church.

    – Stay in the US, or wherever you are, and fight in whatever way you’re best at fighting. Be it through blogging or lobbying or NGO work, or even studying law to ultimately overturn some of the dumbass laws that have gone on the books. (like the ones that prevent people who love each other from getting married.)

    – Did I mention drugs yet? Hey.. it don’t make you a bad person. I mean.. did you see the election? Pass the prozac.

My only request is this, get it out of your system now. Because if you’re still pretending you’re going to move to Canada in a month, you need to stop all the talking and make the move. An incalculable number of people, throughout history, have left their home country due to political, economic, or all sorts of reasons, it’s a global tradition and deserving of some respect. I’m not saying everyone should move, I’m saying if you feel oppressed or in danger, don’t be afraid to get up and do it.

Today’s Sounds: Free Speech Radio News, on 99.5 WBAI NYC

When Bloggers Hit the Streets

Well Well Well. Here we are again. Blogger and Reader. Friends. Romans. 7th day adventists. Are you worried? Rightfully so, traditionally, it’s the regular folks who suffer regardless of the outcome. But hey, let’s have some fun out there today!

The news is just pouring in here at the Bicyclemark ranch, which I’ve now renamed “the compound” since I’ve barricaded myself in, fearing the violence that will be sparked on the touristy streets of Amsterdam when it all comes down. Judging by Dutch public television, this is the most important election the Netherlands has seen in its history. Hence the 24 hour trailer-park trash coverage of Floridians I’ve been exposed to for the last week.

HERE COMES GOOD NEWS – THIS JUST IN: The left wing coalition has taken the Uruguayan presidency. Now there’s a real axis of excitement, or coalition of the thinking, if you will, in South America, made up of Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Venezuela. I’m sure congress and the president select will consider going to war with South America to stop the pink menace of social-democracy.

Anyone noticed the changes in the electoral vote poll map thingy? Suddenly JFK is romping. I was surprised, but I do enjoy this map. And as I was discussing with Brian of Thestateimin, we without a landline will never be polled. (that and we living abroad have even less of a chance) I wonder how many americans only have cell phones? Couple of million?

I wanted to highlight and pay some respect to the bloggers that on this “magical” day have dragged their carpal tunnel hands away the keyboard and hit the streets to do whatever-it-is that campaign volunteers or voting monitors do. That would include Mr. B, professor B’s other half, who I imagine is running around the midwest trying not to get beat up with all his Kerry pins and friendly smile.

And then there’s Majikthise, one of my favorite bloggers, especially during this campaign hysteria, she’s getting out the vote in crazy Pennsylvania.

And just when things were going good for the grassroots buzz, the canvassing car took heavy damage.

Asia the deconstuctionist is going election crrrrazy in Oregon, and she’ll be dragging voters in off the streets today.

Makes me feel proud that some bloggers put their bodies and cars on the line for what they believe in. If I believed in the US electoral process, I might also not be sitting in my pajamas right now.

As part of my annoying EXPANDED election coverage, I wanted to give you this funfact:

In the last election, when the mysterious electoral college went to vote, “one elector from D.C., Barbara Lett-Simmons cast a blank ballot in protest of D.C.’s not having representation in Congress.” (according to the U of Kentucky electoral vote site) I like her style, but can we get the names and addresses of other electoral college cabal members? So we know where to throw fruit and burn effigies. I forget where I left my effigy.

MORE ELECTION NEWS — THIS JUST IN: No Clear Winner After Votecount in Ukrainian elections! Yes its true, no president. Sounds familiar.

Today’s Sounds: The Shins – Chutes too Narrow

Take the A

If you’re going to the End of the World, you may as well bring good company. Last night a pair of Canadians and myself ventured over to the end of Java Eiland, where the wind is colder and the streets are silent. I led them to that long boat I have so often jogged by. From the outside is looks like everyone is sleeping, not a sound. Just as we were about to board the seemingly deserted boat, a group of giggly well-fed people emerge from the boat doors, and cross the plank back to land. After exchanging a few words with them, we board, only to discover the joy of the infamous squat restaurant the Einde Van de Wereld. I expected squat culture at its worst, cramped spaces, unclean. I expected wrong. This boat was huge, and the environment was a warm and friendly one. Never was there a feeling that we were new or unwelcome. We fit right in. I did my best to ask how everything works, so as not to mess up the system:

    – Go to Frank Zappa, tell him if you want the Veggie or the Meat entree.

    – Move down to Zappa’s sister, tell her what you want to drink.

    – Sit down and enjoy bread from the big plate of bread that remains on the table as each costumer comes and goes.

I’m pretty sure I’ll become a frequent customer at this restaurant-boat that is only open two days a week. I’ll bring many a guest there, and who knows – maybe get on a first name basis with the boat-people.

58,000… count’em… 58,000 missing postal ballots in Florida. And we all know that state isn’t alone. I think the UN needs to step in right now and declare these elections null and void. Send in the Canadian and Bangladesh peace keepers to secure the white house and remove the crown prince, until free elections can be held. In the meantime instruct all Americans to “go back to living their normal lives again” or the more popular “go shopping.”

NYC people, listen close, cause this concerns you. The MTA is celebrating their centennial. So when you get on the subway the next few weeks, don’t get upset at the ceiling fans and tweed seats – you’re riding in a piece of history! I’m super jealous, I’m missing out on riding in a wooden train car that was declared unsafe decades ago. The irony is most New Yorkers will pile in, tired and irritated from work, and will look at the old train cars and bitch about how shitty the MTA is.

xtx had a post that I was especially captivated by, regarding moms, babies, and play groups. Makes me realize how much I really want one……

…. my own play group.

One last thing, somebody tell me if this weblog course outline (.pdf) looks any good. I’m going to submit it to learn-ed old men who normally frown upon my youth and inexperience, and hopefully don’t read my blog too closely.

Today’s Sounds: Off the Hook on 99.5 WBAI-NYC

Dad at Breakfast

First thing I asked my mom when she called me from NJ yesterday, “Describe to me what my father is doing right now.” She laughed at said (in Portuguese):

“oh you know the scene, bowl of oatmeal. big cup of coffee with lots of milk, Star-Ledger News section to his left, cross-word puzzle to the right. He’s filled half of it in, and has gotten stuck. Of course, he’ll pick it up again later today and find more answers. No one has a breakfast that takes as long as your father’s.”

I was having fun listening to this. Obviously a simple and familiar scene, but for so many years of my life, I was right there to his right on a saturday morning. Swapping sections with him, and filling in all the popular culture and international politics clues. Dad’s department is always actors, music and movies from the old days, history, foreign languages (though I’ve caught up with him there). Sometimes we’d discuss the news, or dad would point to some guy in the paper and say “oh yeah, I remember this guy, he used to do this and that in Newark when I first came to the US.” And of course I’ll be right back there working on the crossword come Christmas time or whenever I go home to visit. Ah the memories.

Last night, over the finest Portuguese-style baked/roasted Swordfish, the Torontonienne and I discussed a related issue. When you come back to a place where you once lived, but you come as a visitor. We both kind of shuttered at the idea of returning to Amsterdam as visitors. Well into my third year living here, I have no desire to experience such a feeling. But I do get it whenever I return to Lisbon, Paterson, and then there’s Aix-en-Provence, where I once lived and haven’t been motivated enough to return since 2000. That whole feeling of, “this used to be my life, but that’s long gone,” is so often more bitter than sweet.

But of course, it can be fantastic, to remember. I take every chance I can get to go with my Dad to Murtosa(population: 1,364), in Portugal. He’ll stop at random places, point to a building or a lot, and suddenly start piecing together a memory. This is where the tailor lived, this is where the dairy was, this man moved to Canada, this man moved to the states and later died in Vietnam. The most stories come when we visit the cemetery. Dad is able to point to most headstones – those classic Portuguese white marble monstrosities with sepia photos of the people that are buried there – and he can tell you what that person used to do and what part of the world they immigrated to. In recent years, when he tells the stories, I try to memorize who is who, so that one day I can tell the stories as well. I can see it now, Bicyclemark’s guided tours of a small town Portuguese cemeteries. We might even do it on bike, since these places just keep expanding.

Less serious note, the Busblog Fantasy B-Ball draft is this evening, I need some advice on who to draft for my team: The Stoned Tourists. For now, I’m sticking with my “choose non-American players or New Jerseans” strategy. But I’m pretty sure that won’t work for long.

If you’re interested, Swordfish Recipe can be published in my next post.

Today’s Sounds: Midtown – Forget What you Know

“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)