A real lamer

I'm pretty lame. Practically a cripple really. I've been hobbling around for almost a week now. It got so bad this morning that I actually sprang for a taxi to go and visit the hospital. (for the record, excellent service, so no repeat of last summer's fiasco so far). The doctor thinks I have gout, but is uncertain. She gave me a pile of pills to take, and if it doesn't improve by Tuesday I have to go for X-rays.

It's vaguely amusing to hobble around town. In my big black coat I really do feel like a hold-over from the depression, or a war veteran or something. However, the feeling is getting old enough now. Getting around town on 1.5 legs is not the speediest process, and it hurts a lot. I don't think I'll be eating the peas that I've been using as an ice pack (we don't have any ice).

an unfortunate wind

Brussels is suddenly cold. It had been coddlingly warm for a long time. Unfortunately we're paying for it now. Fortunately my bike was stolen the same day it got cold, so I don't have to bike in the cold. Unfortunately this means I have to take the metro to work. Fortunately, my boss is pretty lax about punctuality, so this isn't too much of a problem (it's slow and often late). Unfortunately, it means I have to get a new bike. Fortunately, my boss has a bike he can loan me. Unfortunately he lost the key. Fortunately the lock is of poor quality. Unfortunately I still don't know how to cut it. Fortunately he knows a bike shop that will take care of it. Unfortunately he has two children under the age of 3 and a full-time job, so he doesn't have much time to do it. Fortunately, this means I won't have to worry about getting gloves too soon. Unfortunately, this makes it hard for me to do groceries after work. Fortunately, my room-mate is unemployed and can do them during the day. Unfortunately he was in Frankfurt this weekend. Fortunately I was here. Unfortunately I had a dodgeball tournament on Saturday. Fortunately it was fun. Unfortunately it meant I didn't go to the market as per usual on Saturday. Fortunately it made me realise how incredibly out of shape I am. Unfortunately I am very out of shape. Fortunately it's winter and everyone else is out of shape too.

obama

it all strikes me as a bit odd

this is a strange country. Exhibit A:

I tried to go swimming the other day. First they demanded that I wear a bathing cap, which I suppose is okay, what with all the hair I'm shedding. However, I was later told (after I'd paid) that you aren't allowed to swim in anything other than a speedo.

Now I don't have anything really against speedos. Well, I do, but I suppose its a properly European thing to wear. Anyway, I asked what on earth could be the possible rationale behind this, and I'm told for health reasons. Now forgive me, but this seems just plain stupid. The idea that people wearing bathing shorts are somehow tracking in bacteria and dirt from the ocean just seems ludicrous. And on top of that, nobody in Canada is ever caught dead in a speedo at the pool, and we're all doing just fine thank you. So I'd be curious what this edict is based on, other than the pool manager being interested in young men, or holding shares in speedo corp. But it seems that logical explanations are not the Belgian way. One doesn't ask why anything is done, one simply does them.

On a related note, we are currently being billed by two electric companies, and between the five parties involved (the landlords, us, the estate agent, and the companies) no one can decide whose fault it is, or what is to be done about it. I expect this to drag on for several months.

don't get carried away now Brussels......

Back in Brussels... living the life of a government functionary... Not a bad life really. Went to a giant blow out party for Barack Obama given by democrats abroad last night. Bit of a mistake. Crowd huge. Tickets expensive. Food more so. Horrible crowd control. The whole thing was way too crowded and popular and degenerated quickly dashing everyone's hopes. Hopefully not a symbol for the upcoming Obama presidency.... Everyone here is in absolute raptures about him. Not that I'm not. Nonetheless, I do worry about expectation management. For now though, it's fun to go crazy with everyone and hoot and holler around town about it.

Also today, the progress reports were released!! This is partially what I've been working on, at least in tangent, for the time I've been here. So, this was an enormously exciting period for the politically minded in Brussels today. Even if parsing the difference between "very serious corruption" and "serious corruption" can't quite compare to the second coming...

It's not the end of the world as we know it

Here's another great column, which I think addresses a lot of the idiocy you hear in the world today.

It's "the end of American capitalism," claimed a headline in the Washington Post. "Free market economics is falling into disrepute south of the border," wrote Lawrence Martin in the Globe and Mail.

With respect, what we are actually witnessing is the crushing stupidity of the stereotypes and labels we use when discussing grand-scale economics.

Imagine a country that has the second-highest corporate tax rates in the developed world. Its agricultural sector is heavily subsidized by the state. And one of its biggest industries -- with 600,000 full-time employees and another 850,000 part-timers -- is owned and operated by the government.

This country is the United States -- the laissez-faire, devil-take-the-hindmost, money-worshipping United States. (That government-owned industry? The military.)

Now imagine a country that ranks third (out of 134) on the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index. One reason for that ranking is the world-leading ease with which employers in this country can hire and fire workers. This country also boasts world-class private corporations, one of the highest employment rates in the developed world, and corporate tax rates far lower than those of the United States.

This country is Denmark -- tax-crazed, welfare-loving, nanny-state Denmark.

This goes a long way to addressing the simple minded attitudes you hear all over the place. Sarah Palin not withstanding, the United States is not as different from the rest of the world as everyone would like to believe — not least interns at the institutions of the European Union.

Just for the record

Just for the record, I REALLY hope Obama wins. I think I can truthfully say that he's probably the only politician I've been really inspired by.

Somaemuldo - Queen of the Yellow Sea

Visited Somaemuldo (a small island accessable by ferry from Tongyong. It has an unfortunate resemblance to the fortress of doom when approaching by sea.)

Turned out to be well worth the trip. Mostly a bunch of hiking and admiring views, but still good fun. And it reacquainted me with various Korean habits. Mostly that the average Korean becomes very friendly on these sorts of outings and those posessing some knowledge of the English enjoy a friendly conversation, usually followed up by a picture session, and a ritual sharing of food. Today's most popular item was ginseng jellies. After a few of these sessions we struck out on our own and found a mountainous column inhabited by a family of black goats. Unfortunately the goats seemed enormously disturbed by our presence and they ran off. Their loss, because we enjoyed their mountain redoubt. Later the seas parted (due to the tide, but the brochure describes it as a miracle similar to Moses parting the seas), and we were able to explore the adjacent island, very originally named "lighthouse island."

The return ferry ride was executed in military style. It was a small rust bucket that somehow screamed "Indiana Jones", to me at least. They must have been in a hurry though, because it unloaded and we were all loaded on in about two minutes, with much yelling and carrying on, as well as marine style pushes to help us all get the nerve to jump on to the bobbing boat. This as well as loading the cargo for the various islanders heading back to the mainland. (This consisted mostly of old soju bottles filled with live eels. On the way in it was beet roots and soju bottles filled with soju) They didn't worry about such niceties as tickets either. At our next stop, the captain flipped his lid because some poor tourist family wasn't on time, and could be seen running down the beach, suitcases in tow. He was nice enough to wait for them, but he spent a good period of time yelling them down via loudspeaker, with shouts of "bali, bali". (hurry....) Fortunately, some intrepid villager helped them out with an ATV... For the next village he was determined not to repeat the experience, so he blared Korean folk tunes out the speakers for several minutes before our arrival as a warning. It seemed to work.

Island Hopping

Currently staying at a motel in Tongyong, on the southern coast of Korea. It is surprisingly modern, considering its status as a major industrial port, and has a vast over-abundance of fancy coffee shops.

I'm currently enjoying Korea for a few minor quirks. For example, the generosity of the people. I'd completely forgotten what it was like for random strangers to offer me things completely for free. The other day at the museum, which was free incidentally, the girl manning the counter gave us a coin, completely unsolicited, to use in the baggage locker. And staying in the motel here, nothing is nailed down in the way that they are even in relatively fancy hotels in Canada. Are Koreans just more honest, or have people just not figured out how to take advantage of the system? I cannot imagine an employee of a museum freely offering a coin to patrons in the west. Its refreshing.

On the other hand, I'm reminded of what I don't like: old Korean men. They're mostly loud, obnoxious, and imbeciles. I'll be curious to see if the current generation is so rude and obtrusive in their old age. The current crowd can sort of be excused because of the crushing poverty and wars they've lived through.

Now we shall attempt to visit an isolated island ... Saemuldo Island.... Good night.

Onwards and Upwards

Somehow I'm moving again, and I can't quite decide how to feel about it. I have the usual mixture of excitement and anxiety about what awaits me in Brussels. I'm really not sure what to expect there. This will be the first time in my life that I will be living in a primarily "foreign" environment, that is to say without a lot of Canadians in my social circle. Unless I fall in with the embassy community I suppose. In Korea practically everyone was Canadian, and last time I had all the study tour people. But this time, its basically just me and N. We'll see how that goes. And Vancouver/BC continues to grow on me. I really like this area of the city... and I feel at home. It makes me wonder about what the point of traveling around constantly is. Its exciting, and interesting.... but at some point I will have to live somewhere. I guess I'm still young, and I don't have to worry about it too much, and I've always been pretty good at playing it by ear, and so far its treated me well, so I shouldn't stress about it.

TIme Lapse

Scramble from Sam Javanrouh on Vimeo.


Also Kind of Cool. Watch it in HD on the site.

Fred Herzog

I like Fred Herzog, and I never posted it here before. He took a lot of Vancouver pics, mostly in the 50s and 60s. They're awesome pix of the people and places of Vancouver. I like that they seem like they could have been taken yesterday, and their vitality.

politcal stuff

I'm not dogmatically against religion, and I think that Hitchens is a bit too much so, but I think he lays it out pretty well in this video..



and this is a breathtaking interview with an architect of the Iraq War from 2002.

somehow I missed this one back in 94, but I think its pretty amazing.

fun

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.


Ha ha.

Geumchon

ha ha. this video makes me nostalgic for Korea..... and it makes me bitter at having missed out on Geumchon!

Stuff white people like

Okay, I have a lot to apologize for here. I'm going to link to a site, and for that I have the following caveats/apologies.

1) I don't write my own stuff any more. sorry.

2) By linking to this site, I'm opening myself up to ridiculous self parody. ie.. I'm basically exactly the kind of guy this site's talking about, and here I am showing how hip and trendy and ironically self aware I am by linking to it, and laughing about how apt it all is. Sorry.

3) The site verges on the mean spirited. sorry.

4) This may all be very passé, and if you've already known about it for ages, sorry.

BUT I still think this is an unusually funny site, so too bad if I am falling into all the traps of my own demographic. If everyone else can do it, then why shouldn't I?

So basically this guy writes about stuff white people like. By white, he really means rich, urban, educated liberal minded types. And coming from that background I find a lot of it is unusually topical. For example, explaining St. Patrick's Day:

"Most of the time, white people consider celebrations of European heritage to be racist unless they omit large swathes of the 16th through 20th centuries. But since the Irish never engaged in colonialism and were actually oppressed it is considered acceptable and encouraged to celebrate their ancestry. For this reason, 100% of white people are proud to claim that they are somewhat Irish.

It is also worth noting that on this day, there is always one trump card that never fails to gain respect and acclaim. When you are sitting at an Irish bar and someone orders a round of Guinness, you must take a single sip and while the other white people are savoring their drink, you say: “mmmm, I know it sounds cliche, but it really is true. Guinness just tastes better in Ireland.”

This comment will elicit an immediate and powerful response of people agreeing with your valuable insight. This statement also has the additional benefit of humiliating the members of your party who have not been to Ireland (and thus cannot confirm this proclamation). Having not traveled to Ireland and consumed a beer that is widely available in their hometown and throughout the world, they will immediately be perceived as provincial, uncultured, and inferior to you.

It is also strongly encouraged that you memorize the lyrics to “Jump Around.” It will come in handy."

AND on the topic of dinner parties:

Though many would have you believe that white people come of age at Summer Camp, it’s simply not the truth. Immediately following graduation but prior to renovating a house, white people take their first step from childhood to maturity by hosting a successful dinner party.

It is imperative that white people know how to host a good dinner party as they will be expected to do it well into retirement.

At the most basic level, these simple gatherings involve 3-6 couples getting together at a single house or apartment, having dinner and talking for 5-6 hours. Though it might seem basic these events are some of the most stressful situations in all of white culture.

Risk

This guy confronts risk exactly the way it should be. I really wish we had more people like Dan Gardner. (click for interview) He just published a book and I'm interested to read it. Here's part of an interview. I like the last line in the interview, which basically boils down to: 347 Americans are killed every year by police officers, while 379 people IN THE WORLD are killed by international terrorists. Imagine how much trouble you could get in on a right wing call in show if you brought that up? (Note that this doesn't include domestic terrorists, but it still throws a new light on the world doesn't it.)

4. What do you think is the most unreasonable fear rife in the Western world?

One is certainly “stranger danger.” Parents everywhere imagine perverts lurking in bushes, waiting to snatch away their children. But abduction by strangers is almost indescribably rare. In the United States, a child is 26 times more likely to die in a car crash. And yet, because of this irrational fear, parents won’t let their children play outdoors or even walk to school – which contributes to the rising rates of childhood obesity that really do threaten the well-being of children.

Terrorism is also grossly exaggerated. I know this is controversial and so I go to great lengths to substantiate my views in the book. Over the last 40 years, fewer than 15,000 people have been killed in international terrorist attacks. That figure includes the Sept. 11 attacks, incidentally. And so, on average, international terrorism takes the lives of 379 a year around the world. Let me put that risk in perspective: In 2003, in the United States alone, 497 people accidentally suffocated in bed; 396 were unintentionally electrocuted; 515 drowned in swimming pools; 347 were killed by police officers. And 16,503 Americans were murdered by garden-variety criminals.

I'm embroiled in a lunchtime talk next week. Here's the write up. I'm sure it will be a thrill ride for all who partake. Continuing to be very productive in every respect. I have begun the process of writing the thesis, much to the collective astonishment of my committee.

broken mirror

J1 will visit me shortly. J1 always visits me sooner or later. In fact, we seem to mirror each other quite nicely, about 3 or 4 years, and 200 km off. Halifax was followed by Sackville , and Daegu by Busan. So we can expect J1 to move to Kamloops in 2010 or thereabouts. Anwyay, J1 will be here soon, and I'll pull out all the stops in the hospitality train. Hopefully Busan hasn't gentrified too much in my absence. I think Busan was the first place I visited that really qualified as culturally shocking for me. That was the place that different families quarelled as they taught us the correct method to eat galbi, and we were quite overwhelmed by its quantity and the overall experience of grilling at the table. That and the fish market blew me away, when we visited only days after I arrived in Korea. No doubt J will have something similar in store, even if I pass on my collected wisdom. Read about it here in her new blog. Good luck J1!!!

Otherwise, the office has subsided from panic in the days following Big R's departure for medical leave. A new routine has settled in. I have made significant progress on my thesis, though prospects for its completion are still poor, faint, and distant. I predict that I will fail to conduct an adequate defence before the April 10th deadline. However, as I am being retained by the institute until July, the idea is not dire. Particularly since I am quite enjoying reading about Danish and Nordic political cutlure, anti-elitism, and monetary policy, strange as some may find it. I have also applied for a variety of positions at reputable institutions around the world. Unfortunately our very own DFAIT, has turned up its nose at me, due to my low test scores on the math test. Mathematics continue to be the bane of my existence, years after I thought I'd left it behind in grade 12. But I'm not good at anything with firm rules. That's true of everything in life. The only things in life that I'm actually good at are situations where you can BS, waffle, stall, prevericate, charm, canoodle, bend the rules, change the goals, lie, mislead, fly under the radar, and talk your way through without taking a stand until the last minute and then surprising everyone. Games with hard and fast rules and decisions, without opt-outs, I'm not naturally good at. And that is why I'm not good at math, chess, or first person shooters.

I retract nothing.

I flew back west yesterday, after once again winning the winter travel sweepstakes. Remember how I flew in during the blizzard of the year? Well, I flew out in a relatively rare pea soup fog (the pic here is from before it really thickened), which forced the cancellation of every single flight out of Ottawa, except for my flight and two others! My original flight was delayed, but that meant that I got to spend an extra few hours in Ottawa, and switch to the direct flight. A good deal by my reckoning.

The airport was completely deserted, but still managed to be in an uproar because the computer system had crashed, and they were checking us in manually. Because I had been switched flights, I also got the back seat in the plane, right by the bathroom. But I was happy with that, because I got my row to myself, extra leg room, a window, and easy access to said bathroom. I got a bit of company when we hit a patch of really rough turbulence, and the service personnel had to shelter in empty seats. That was good because they filled me in on all the airline gossip about the delays and so on. Undoubtedly the most annoying part of the flight was the yappy dog that had somhow been allowed aboard. It yapped for about the first hour, and then through the tubulence. If I'd been sitting next to it, I don't think I'd have been happy. We also experienced a medical emergency when they paged a doctor to come and care for the sick. In the end I arrived all of an hour late. So, I don't go back on what I said before leaving: winter travel is much more dynamic!