Wanderlust

Tonight I was watching PBS and got sucked into a documentary about two guys from Queens NY who retraced Marco Polo's travels. Link to site. This show got me thinking again about the few travels i've had and how many more there are out there for me.

It's more than just the travels that drew me into this show. It's the history of what was being seen first hand. Living history. Reaching out and touching something that is exactly as it was documented hundreds of years prior just absolutely fascinates me. Part of me longs to go through the hell of traveling on horseback, crowded buses, and all around misery to meet people in a land who are living the same exact way they did for probably a thousand years (excluding the Nike hat that someone was wearing).

I'll admit that i let my imagination wander and drift away to the far away lands that i too would like to experience. I know I'm fortunate enough to live in a region that is very beautiful with it's different seasons, colors, and varying features (lake, hills, greens, blue, browns, etc) and that those that are in shows like i was watching would be in awe of my homeland just as much as i would be in awe of theirs. The key word for me is really "experience". Most people that travel go somewhere, take a bunch of pictures, and then go home. I want to experience my destination. Rather than a hotel or a hostel, I'd much rather find a family to take me in for a couple of weeks and show me the ropes of their area.

It's the little things that i see in programs like this that draws me in. Transportation was needed to get from one village to another and the only way to get there was to hire someone to ride a bike with you on the back. How cool is that?! It's sad that a region can be that dirt poor and yet i long for us to truly grasp how pampered we are even with our buses. The idea of biking everywhere because it's your only mode of transportation just strikes a chord with me. No i'm not turning into one of those fixed gear riding hipsters! I just think we've lost an overall appreciation for not only our surroundings but travel time because of our "superior" means of transportation.

Granted that I know my perception is being filtered by the filmmakers views of the places traveled, the ultimate draw of shows like these for me is how friendly people everywhere are to travelers. You can stage a lot for a camera but there are so many little gestures of sincere camaraderie and brotherhood that can't be staged. When you see politicians on stage and even the best of actors, they still seem to lack something. When you see an image of an old toothless man as he's sharing a smoke with a foreigner, you can see the magic in his eyes. Neither will forget the other. Both having an immense impact on each others perceptions of outsiders. It's exchanges like these that i'm drawn to. I want to experience them too. I want someone far removed from me to come away thinking that outsiders are good people too.

In the end I guess i just get warm fuzzies from the idea of learning first hand that most of the world is filled with decent people. We're taught and conditioned to not trust most of the world which i think is contrary to human nature. I'd like to believe that if you put two people together with no common means of communication that they'll work things out and get along just fine. Stay away from this region because they don't like us and they'll try to eat your brains! Don't travel there because they are all bad people that hate us! Don't associate with those people because they'll corrupt the way you think and pollute your mind with ideas that will destroy your sense of morals.

Bah. Fuck 'em. I want to learn for myself about people and places. I want to travel. I want to see places. I want to experience new foods and new ways. Something tells me that most of the world doesn't give a shit what my country of origin is and is more concerned if i've got a spare match in my pocket or an open hand to hold the door for someone.

It might be a minor thing but what i miss about traveling is looking out the window. Whether it's a window on a bus, plane, or a house, i miss looking out the window. Perhaps it's my voyeuristic nature but there's something soothing about watching everyday life unfold before my eyes. I might be on a bus buzzing from town to town but i love letting my imagination wander as i see building an people. I guess when i take a vacation, i like to take a vacation from reality while on vacation.

There's so much history in the world that is both living and dead waiting to be experienced. I can only hope that i can witness first hand a fraction of it in my remaining time here.

Writers Block

I've had a lot on my mind these days. Anyone who knows me, knows i'm not afraid to say what's on my mind. My problem is that I'm trying to filter what is on my mind, into this medium. So many things to talk about but none of them really feel "worthy".

I love reading and giving my feedback on social issues. The problem with that topic these days is that during my absence from this blog it has become more and more vogue to speak out on these issues. That and honestly i just haven't found any truly unique stories that i care enough about (see older posts about gardening and drug war) to comment on.

What has really been dominating my life are two things: job hunting and technology. Job hunting is nothing new for me to write about and although i'm employed back in the industry, i'm still looking. Technology is still a love of mine but there's just sooo many tech bloggers out there that are much better than me. I don't feel that i have a lot to contribute to the tech blogosphere but since i have nothing better to write about, here goes what will hopefully be the beginning of an ongoing effort to change that.

Within the technology realm I'm most fascinated with my macbook and the things it has opened up to me. Last.fm has been getting a lot more attention because of this. As has my cheat sheet of *nix commands (scp, vi, and even a bit of grep). When i sit down and use this machine i immediately start coming up with ideas of what i want and can do. The portability of it also fuels my curiosity.

I'm ashamed that i have yet to get my music collection on here. Why? Because I want to turn itunes loose on it so that i can sync my (free) ipod with it and really get rocking with the last.fm scrobbling. That was my first and most daunting plan (i hate the word "project" these days) for this machine. I've got maybe 20gb worth of music that i need to get on here but the bigger issue is how to sort it and then cleaning up the ID3 tags before i even dare sync it with my ipod.

Speaking of last.fm, i've been thoroughly enjoying listening to what it has to offer up for streaming music. I was recently listening to "my library" and found a couple songs/groups that really caught my attention. It's refreshing to be exposed to unexplored music for me. My local radio stations are awful at best and so homogeneous that i can feel any individuality being sucked out of me through my speakers. Gone are the days of cutting edge and different music which has been traded for music that fit that description 20 - 30 years ago with the vain hopes that we've been living in a vacuum.

Hopefully in the coming weeks i'll document more in depth what i've done while chasing these interests. Hopefully inspiration will strike and i'll get back into my writing groove. No matter what, bear with me as i get my legs again.

Went for a walk

Tonight i went for a walk. I had an errand to run. It was cold and snowing lightly. I walked. It would have been more comfortable to drive. I walked instead. Bundled up a bit and was only cold for the first block and then i got acclimated to it.

What's the big deal about taking a brief walk in 20 degree weather? It's that i realized how much i miss simple things like that these days. It's that a lot of people would opt to drive that distance these days. It's that the weather is considered too cold for humans to leave their caves to trek out briefly into the wild these days for fear of a polar bear attacking them behind Jimmy Johns.

Some would label this as being "green" since i didn't drive. Some would say that i'm being old fashioned for walking when it's more efficient to drive. Some would even say that i was trying to be "healthy" since i'm over weight and it's time for new years resolutions and all of that jazz.

I walked because i enjoy it. No ulterior motives. No external influences. I did it because i enjoy it. I suppose that makes me a bad person because i wasn't doing something for the greater good. Fuck the greater good. I did it because i like it and that's that.

Some days i truly enjoy being me. :)

Look who's back!

Despite my best efforts, I have not died. It's time to crawl out of my shell and into... my shell. :)

Random rumblings to come.

Social commentaries to come.

Opinions to come.

Most importantly... I'M BACK BITCHEZ!!!

seth-macfarlane-to-be-infomercial-host

Once again, sunbelt to the rescue when i need material to read!

http://sunbeltblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/seth-macfarlane-to-be-infomercial-host.html

Gardening in Havana

Original article here.

Here we sit in the midst of a recession with the economy in the toilet, unemployment is up drastically, and yet we're obese. Food prices are going up, money is tight, and yet we less and less self sufficient as a country.

After reading about the farming that's going on in Cuba I realized that's exactly what we need. It just makes sense economically, socially, and physiologically.

Why would you not produce goods like produce where the consumers are? Transportation costs would be negligible, need for storage would be eliminated, and convenience for consumers would be unparalleled. People could buy the tomatoes, carrots, and lettuce needed for a salad right there on their lunch break rather than trekking the same distance to 'Burger World' and spending the same amount for inferior quality foods that have been soaked in chemicals using very Scotched Earth tactics. What's this? A good quality product for the same price as its mass produced competition? This must be a mistake!

Large scale growing and production within a major metropolitan area would also be a means to jump start the local economy. Active and consistent commerce tends to bring other commerce and we need only look at malls with their anchor stores to see this holds true. Local labor who is out of work would have an opportunity to be participants again in the economy whether they're laborers, growers, or sellers. Whatever their 'job', they would have some form of income which enables them to be consumers rather than a leech on the system. Even if they make $20/day, that's $20 less that they need to borrow or be given and more importantly it's EARNED.

The social effects of what is going on in Havana can't be comprehended by outsiders. Concepts like pride, hope for former unemployed workers, and aesthetics are all intangibles that can't be measured (yet somehow are major factors). Pockets of green like parks are already on the decline in most major metropolitan cities. These are pockets of green that not only produce marketable goods but cut back on air pollution in addition to their aesthetic value. The notion of eating something that was grown right near your employer can't be measured and yet will make most people smile.

Access to fresh produce can only have positive effects on peoples diets. Even if they just use that fresh tomato on their grease burger, it has more nutritional value than anything highly processed and mass farmed using heavy amounts of chemicals. Tomatoes are red, not pink. Look at a homegrown one next to one from the store. Case closed.

What strikes me the deepest about Havana is that they learned a lesson the hard way that we are blinded to.

Havana has almost 200 urban allotments - known as organiponicos - providing four million tonnes of vegetables every year - helping the country to become 90% self-sufficient in fruit and vegetables.

How is this a bad thing? A country that is 90% self sufficient in fruit and vegetables can weather economic crisis better as Havana is showing us. They're eliminating dependencies on foreign oil which means their country won't hit the panic button when Gas hits $4+ per gallon like it did in the US during the summer of 2008. The more self sufficient you are, the better you can cope with problems that arise.

As well as marigolds, basil and neem trees are planted around the containers to keep the aphids and beetles at bay. Sunflowers and corn are also planted around the beds to attract beneficial insects such as ladybirds and lace wings. Sticky paper or plastic funnel-shaped bottles are positioned throughout the beds to trap harmful pests that do get into the garden.

And the methods work. Lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, squash, sweet potatoes, spinach, herbs and many other crops are grown in huge quantities and sold cheaply. Mangoes are 2 pence (3 US cents) a pound. Black beans 15p (25 cents) and plantain, just 12p (20 cents).

What's this? A good quality product for the same price as its mass produced competition? This must be a mistake!

Vietnam massacre soldier 'sorry'

Vietnam massacre soldier 'sorry'


We are haunted by our past. Today the US is actively involved in both Afghanistan and Iraq and yet the echo's from our past are hard to silence. Vietnam was the first conflict that the US lost and My Lai had become the turning point for public opinion of the US in South East Asia.

Someone somewhere issued the order to wipe out a village in cold blood. Only God will know who truly issued the order but Lt William Calley is the one who was punished. I don't doubt his sincerity when he stated that he feels remorse and is sorry. What i question is how did this happen?

Wikipedia

We will never know what truly happened there. A shrinking number of people can come close to even comprehending the circumstances surrounding My Lai. The facts are that in 2009 Mr Calley apologized, proclaimed his remorse for past deeds, and still maintains that he was following orders. Despite serving his time and the intervention of Nixon, Mr Calley has forever been branded by history as the culprit in this. To this day he insists he was following orders but does not deny that he took part in this action.

Was this in fact murder or an atrocity within a war? What were the surrounding circumstances that this happened in? Will history ever judge this person fairly in context of actions versus in the vacuum of today? What worries me the most is that I know there will be similar incidents that will come to light in the coming years from Afghanistan and Iraq. Will the accused be as fortunate? How will history judge them versus Mr Calley?

No, the last of the ghosts of Vietnam have not been heard from, nor have we scratched the surface on todays conflicts.

Has he paid his price? Has Mr Calley suffered enough with the life long memory of what happened that day even though his formal punishment was minor in comparison? Is it reasonable to assume that his long time insistence that he was following orders should imply that his superiors let him take the fall so that they could further their careers?

May we never grow deaf to the echo's of our past.

Beginner’s Guide: Is that a real anti-malware product?

http://sunbeltblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/beginners-guide-is-that-real-anti.html

This link to SunBelt is to an article i found potentially useful. They always do a good job and are extremely informative. I'm posting this because i've recently seen a couple people i know personally who have fallen for this, and education is always important. May they be the last...

Deadly clashes in Peru's Amazon

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8086595.stm

garden status

tomatoes (10 total):
2 lemon boys
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/30940/
green zebra
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/53465/
mr stripey
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/57866/
big zac
early girl
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54789/
box car willie
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/60426/
beefmaster
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/57262/
pink
jet star
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/30970/

3 kahlarabi
carrots
mixed lettuce
3 tomatillos
red onion

peppers (18 total):
red
yellow
3 types of asian/thai 'hot' that have no tag
long red slim (cayenne)
2 purple beauty
anaheim
jalapeno
jalapa
hot banana
spanish spice
serrano
hungarian yellow wax
valencia orange
salsa

I regret to report that my basil is already dieing from some kind of bug. I lost my basil to the same "bug" last year in the same area and thus will not attempt basil there again in the future. In the meantime i'm looking to acquire a planter box to grow fresh basil in for this season.

As of today, tomatoes are coming along slowly, some peppers already have flowers on them, lettuce and carrot leaveshave pooked through, and finally have peas poking through.