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09 October 2006Politics
Feel Safer?

North Korea detonated a nuke early this morning. The only real question now is who is responsible. I'm pretty sure it's either Bill Clinton or George Soros.

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06 October 2006Photography
Half Dome on Cloudy Day

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05 October 2006Skiing
Damn, It's Snowing Already!

I've got my pass. It's paid for. Can't wait to get on the slopes again. It rained almost all day today, but I didn't realize it was cold l enough to snow in the Sierras until I got an email from Heavenly.

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05 October 2006Politics
Special Comment

Why does it seem strange to me that seemingly the only member of the national media who is willing to take the Bush administration to task day in and day out is Keith Olbermann? Maybe it's because he used to be the local sports guy on Channel 5 in LA when I was in high school, but, fuck, at least someone is doing it. His show-ending commentaries are about the only "must see TV" on the air. His comments tonight about Gerorge Bush's mendacity over the last few days are particularly noteworthy. Here's Olbermann:

The president of the United States - unbowed, undeterred and unconnected to reality - has continued his extraordinary trek through our country rooting out the enemies of freedom: the Democrats.
Yesterday at a fundraiser for an Arizona congressman, Mr. Bush claimed, quote, "177 of the opposition party said, 'You know, we don’t think we ought to be listening to the conversations of terrorists.'"

The hell they did.

One hundred seventy-seven Democrats opposed the president's seizure of another part of the Constitution.

Not even the White House press office could actually name a single Democrat who had ever said the government shouldn’t be listening to the conversations of terrorists.

President Bush hears what he wants.

Tuesday, at another fundraiser in California, he had said, "Democrats take a law enforcement approach to terrorism. That means America will wait until we're attacked again before we respond."

Mr. Bush fabricated that, too.

And evidently he has begun to fancy himself as a mind reader.

"If you listen closely to some of the leaders of the Democratic Party," the president said at another fundraiser Monday in Nevada, "it sounds like they think the best way to protect the American people is - wait until we're attacked again."

The president doesn't just hear what he wants.

He hears things that only he can hear.

It defies belief that this president and his administration could continue to find new unexplored political gutters into which they could wallow.

Yet they do.

It is startling enough that such things could be said out loud by any president of this nation.

Rhetorically, it is about an inch short of Mr. Bush accusing Democratic leaders, Democrats, the majority of Americans who disagree with his policies of treason.

But it is the context that truly makes the head spin.

Just 25 days ago, on the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, this same man spoke to this nation and insisted, "We must put aside our differences and work together to meet the test that history has given us."

Mr. Bush, this is a test you have already failed.

If your commitment to "put aside differences and work together" is replaced in the span of just three weeks by claiming your political opponents prefer to wait to see this country attacked again, and by spewing fabrications about what they've said, then the questions your critics need to be asking are no longer about your policies.

They are, instead, solemn and even terrible questions, about your fitness to fulfill the responsibilities of your office.

That's the crux of it, but it's worth reading the whole thing.

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28 September 2006Politics
Nothing Left to Hate

As I write this, the Senate is debating a bill that will give the president essentially carte blanche to designate any person in this world, resident aliens or foreigners, citizens of this country, you or me even as an "Enemy Combatant" and throw them into prison without trial, right of appeal or access to legal counsel. The same bill codifies the administration's ability to engage in activity, as the New York Times puts it, "normal people consider torture", and to interpret the Geneva Conventions as he sees fit.

I watched this morning on C-Span as senators voted down Senator Spector's amendment that would remove the elimination of Habeas Corpas, or the right of appeal, from the bill on what was more or less a party line vote. I had to leave for work before I could hear "debate" on other amendments, but I suspect that they will all be voted down and the bill will pass as written by the administration.

All of this is being done in our names, by our representatives with little or no debate on a time schedule demanded by political expedience. The Republicans, who fear losing control of one or both houses of Congress in the upcoming election, want to put the Democrats on record on voting against this bill. They seem to think voting against this bill will allow them to say that Democrats are soft on terrorism, that they don't want to give the administration all the powers necessary to prosecute this war. Democrats must believe this, because they are not putting up much of a fight. It's disgusting to me that we live in a political climate where the majority party thinks that Americans will support any bill or any person who votes for a bill that legitimizes torture. I thought we were a "Christian Nation". But that seems to be the case. Sadly, our fears have trumped our values.

If any bill should be fillibustered, it should be this one. This bill is unconstitional on its face. If it ever challenged in a federal court, it will be defeated. Everyone knows that. More than that this bill will do nothing to protect us from harm. It only protects the president and his cronies from litigation retroactively giving them cover for torture already administered and false imprisonment already committed. It will erode our moral authority to project our values and our system of government to the rest of the world. It will severely hinder our ability to win hearts and minds which is key to our ability to eliminate the threats we now face.

That said, maybe I'm missing the point. The president has said repeatedly that the terrorists hate us for "our freedoms". When we have no freedoms left there will be nothing left to hate and the trouble will be over. QED.

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30 June 2006Travel
Ruud Gullit at the Ristorante Bellavista

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Rutger and I were walking home from dinner at Sing Sing, a very trendy Asian fusion restaurant/bar in his neighborhood last night. I was taking pictures of some of the interesting cafes with their tables spilling out into the sidewalks that you see all over Amsterdam.

When I was taking a shot of the Ristorante Bellavista, on Johannes Verhulstraat, the most desirable address in Amsterdam, right around the corner from Rutger's place, there was Ruud Gullit carrying a football that one of his kids who was playing in the street had kicked into the restaurant. If you don't know who he is, check his bio on Wikipedia.

Rutger's neighborhood, south of the Rijksmuseum and just east of the Vondelpark is one of the most popular in Amsterdam, filled with local Dutch celebrities, TV presenters, games show hosts, footballers like Gullit and Marco van Basten. The lead singer from Golden Earring lives around the corner. No one bothers them. It's not like at home. There are no paparazzi, it seems, and they can live what look like normal lives with only the occasional overzealous tourist and football fan pulling out a camera at an inopportune moment.

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29 June 2006Travel
Land of Bicycles

Land of Bicycles
It's hard for someone who's not been here to get a sense of how many bicycles there are. I thought there were a lot in Oxford, but that's nothing. Here in Holland and more so in Utrecht which is a university town than in Amsterdam, there are bikes everywhere. I mean everywhere. If you like to ride, Holland is the place for you.

There are a huge piles locked up to each other. They are locked to every available piece of metal attached the ground or a wall. Amsterdam probably has the same problem with bikes that San Francisco has with cars. There are more bikes than there are places to park them. Sometimes finding a place to lock down is tricky.

And when I say locked. I mean locked. Every Dutch bike, and these are mostly simple one gear coster brake variety, have a spoke lock in the rear and most people have two additional locks. It seems crazy to me that in a country where everyone has at least one bike that there should be a problem with bike theft, but there is. I can remember Rutger telling me a few years ago that some enterprise thief figured out that you can shatter a Kryptonite U-lock with a Volvo jack which is why you never see them. Only the massive chain variety.

I've been borrowing Rutger's bike. He, understandably is very safety conscious. The front door to his house is like Ft. Knox and there are three locks on the bike, so I really have to want to stop when I am riding because it's an ordeal to secure the bicycle. There's the spoke lock as I mentioned. There's a standard chain and then there is the massive, this bike isn't going anywhere, ring chain. So there is no danger of the bike being stolen. The only danger is accidentally dropping the keys in the canal, which would basically mean the bike will be locked in situ for the rest of time or until the fire brigrade decides to remove it.

Everyone is on bikes. Everyone. Old grandmothers, men in three piece suits, school kids, beautiful women that anywhere else could be models, but here in Holland, they ride bikes. People ding their friends on the rack or the handle bars. Kids ride standing on the back with their hands on their father's shoulders. Dogs ride in the baskets in front, calm as if it was the natural way for a pooch to get around town.

Bike paths are everywhere, in the parks, along the streets. If you like to ride, this is the place for you. The city is essentially flat. The only hills come courtesy of the little canal bridges, so the single gear bikes do the trick.

Beyond the basic bicycles that you see all over, you have your more utilitarian machines, some with little chairs for children, some with buckets or baskets or plaforms in front even. And people are carrying everything. You see people with their shopping bags or with flowers or with a new TV set or just about anything you can imagine.

The coaster brakes take some getting used tp. I had them on my bike as I kid but I've been so imprinted to squeeze the brake with my hand that it likes a Pavlovian response that I can't help, so I've come to some embarrassingly skidding stops and have just managed to avoid several accidents, which surprisingly considering the amount of bikes, the trams and the cars, there are blessedly few of. I did manage one minor scrape. I was stopped, straddling the bike, trying to put on my sweater when the bike slipped out from under me in the middle of a very crowded square and smashed the tail light in the billion bits. Only cost a few euros to replace, so no big deal, but how embarrasing.

Anyway, I'm going to have to make a few videos during rush hour so you can see what I am talking about it. I'll try to remember to do it today.

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29 June 2006Travel
Day Trip to Utrecht

Day Trip to Utrecht
It's easy to get the wrong impression of Utrecht. The train station is adjacent to the largest mall in the country and you have to make your make through a mass of stores and throngs of people to get to the town. The center of town is a bustling place, built around canals, but if you take a wrong turn, as I did, you can easily find yourself in the residential part of the city with nothing much to look at and no map to find your way around. It was fine though. I needed a nice long walk after spending a few days on a bike around Amsterdam.

The problem, well, not really a problem, but how I got so off course, was that I was looking for a tower which Utrecht it famous (see above). except I didn't know what to look for so I just headed out for the first tower I saw which turned out not to be the famous Dom Tower, the tallest in Holland, but something else, some closed museum, with an implossibly long and unpronouncable Dutch name. Because of that, I basically circumnambulated the town, again, which is fine, because I saw parts of the city that I'm sure very few tourists see. Interesting. Yes. Mindblowing. Not so much.

I wound my way through city streets and parks and canals and finally found the Dom Tower. It's not too hard since It looms over the town in the way only a massive Gothic tower can.

I finally understood why my friend Cathy, who lived in Utrecht for some time, suggested that I visit. Around the real center of the city (not the part near the train station, which is nice, but not the same) there is so much activity. Long summer days bring the Dutch out in droves. They are picnicing in the park, sunning themselves in outdoor cafes, shopping in clever boutiques and riding their bikes all over the place. The houses along the canal that runs perpendicular to the tower have basements that open out to the terrace along the water. Families are having dinner, friends are barbequing, people are hanging out, cats are strolling around. The street above is lined with shops and restaurants and there is so much bicycle traffic it's hard to fathom for someone who comes from a car culture.

And there are gorgeous women everywhere. That is, if you're into the tall, blond blue-eyed, well built norse goddess type. And they seem so down to earth. How hard can it be to approach a beautiful who is cycling around town? It's impossible to imagine a Parisian girl doing the same thing. Too fragile. Too particular. Too high-maintanence.

And towering above it all is the ever present Dom. Truly spectacular with gothic spires and peaked archways. You can climb the 450 odd steps to the top, but only when it's open. I arrived too late. The view must be unbelievable. Looking down on the structure of the town, the buildings that wind in circles around the canals, the open squares filled with cafes tables. I'll have to go back the next time I visit Holland.

I would have liked to just sit in a cafe, have a beer or a glass of savignon blanc and just take in the scene, but I have such a problem doing that. I have the hardest time just relaxing when I'm in a new place. I feel compelled to see every inch of it and drive myself to walk almost continually. It's madness, I know, but it's been my modus opernadi for years and unless I consciously stop and force myself to sit I'm like a perpetual motion machine.

I finally gave in around 7 in evening, still very light since darkness falls in the Dutch summer around 11 or so. I found a greek cafe on the tiny road that runs under the Dom, bought a souvlaki and sat under the tower, watching the cycle traffic whiz by, girls who look like Uma Thurman talking on cell phones walking by with the Tower, wrapped in crenallations and spires above it all.

Then it was time to head back to the train station, back through the mall for the 1/2 hour train back to Amsterdam. I rode my bike from the Centraal Station, up through the center of town, people everywhere. Utrecht is a sleepy town in comparison. Emerryville is a morgue. I rode past the Rijsmuseum and into the Vondelpark where every inch of sun drecnched grass was occupied by picnicers drinking rose and enjoying the fleeting Dutch summer. What a great place this is.

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29 June 2006News
Anarchy in Holland?

Everyone is talking about the fall of the Dutch government. I suspect it won' change ery much. Tourists will continue to come and go. Trains will run on time and life will go on much as normal as it can here in Amsterdam.

Political crisis in the Netherlands as government resigns

The Netherlands is facing a political crisis and early elections after the centre-right government of Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende announced it is resigning.

It comes after a row over the immigration minister prompted the D66 party to quit the ruling coalition.

It withdrew its support over Rita Verdonk's tough stance on the citizenship of a Somali-born Dutch politician.

She had threatened to strip Ayaan Hirsi Ali of her citizenship for lying about her refugee status on arrival in the country in 1992.

Balkanende made the resignation announcement in parliament and afterwards said it was regrettable as the government was making progress with reforms.

Elections, initially scheduled for May 2007, could take place in September at the earliest.

Hirsi Ali resigned from parliament last month and said she would leave the Nethernlands after Verdonk threatened to withdraw her citizenship.The minister reversed her decision after Hirsi Ali submitted a statement saying she had not intended to lie to the authorities.

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27 June 2006Travel
Final Destination: Amsterdam

I arrived in Amsterdam two nights ago for the final, non-corporate funded leg of the trip. I'm staying with good friends Rutger & Marielle (and orney cat Dickie) in their beautifully remodelled townhouse about 15 minutes south of the central station by tram.

I met Rutger & Marielle on the way from Bangkok to Northern Cambodia. We started talking and joking around at the first rest stop and haven't really stopped much since. Rutger is the one responsible (although Marielle might have had a hand in this) for the sign in this picture.

I'll be here til Sunday. I seem to be able to pick up an unsecured wireless internet signal so I should be able to update some of my travels since I left Barcelona, especially now that the World Cup is taking a breather and I don't feel compelled to watch 3 hours of football every day.

But for the now the sun is shining, the skies are blue and it's no time to waste sitting around the house when Amsterdam is out there waiting to be explored.

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25 June 2006Travel
City of the Dead

Photos of the incomparable Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris are up now. The place is simply amazing. I walked around for 3 hours in the rain on the ankle breaking cobble stones streets that connect up the dozens of districts, and I wish I had 3 hours more. I could spend days wanderng around the tombs, taking photographs and hunting for famous resting spots. This time I found Oscar Wilde, Frederick Chopin, Sarah Bernhardt, George Suerat and of course, Jim Morrision, but there are dozens more including Gertude Stein, Moliere, Max Ernst, Edith Piaf, Louis David, Check out the map and see for yourself.

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18 June 2006Travel
Sleep Deprived Mongoloid

Im not to get into details now, but suffice it to say that Ive been running a massive sleep deficit since last Saturday when I got home at 3am and realized that I had to catch a 920am flight from London to Zurich. Working backwards from 920, with the hour that you want to arrive before the flight and another hour to get to Heathrow and at least 30 minutes to get up, pack, shower, shave, check out, I was looking at a 650am wake up call.

I couldnt get to sleep right away (by the way, in case you were wondering, I cant figure out how to make apostrophes on this Spanish keyboard), I got maybe 3 hours, if Im lucky. I dont sleep on planes much so no catching up en route to Switzerland. I arrived around noon. I could have taken a nap, but it was too nice of a day and Im congenitally disposed to exploring new places so I wandered around Zurich all day, caught the WC matches on a big screen in the middle of town.

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17 June 2006Travel
I'm Outta Here

The flight is boarding now. Finally. I'm off to the gate. See you's all in Barcelona! ;)

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17 June 2006It Really Sucks When...
You're All Wet

I had one of those mad dashes to the airport. I was out having Bangladeshi food in Brick Lane, East London. Finished in plenty of time to get back to the hotel, collect my bags and make Heatrow well before departure. The taxi drive drove like a madman. The fare was 52 pounds and change. More than a hundred bucks, but he did exactly what I wanted, drive like Jensen Button so I told him to round of the fare to 60 quid. I'm paying by credit card, I had no pounds left, and he runs the card on the machine and the tab comes up to 66 pounds. Knowing I was in a hurry, he tried to fuck me. I couldn't really say anything since I'd have missed my flight, or so I thought. So I just signed it and I'll deal with Amex later.

The check-in line is blissfully short. The woman at the desk tells me the flight is on time and I have about 25 minutes to get through security and get my tuchus to the gate. I even have time to stop off at the BA lounge and grab a cold drink. Security is not nearly the pain in the ass in Europe as it at home. No pointless taking off of the shoes, for example. And I'm cruising to the gate. Only I get to the get which is at the ass end of Heathrow Terminal 1 and there is no one there. No passengers. No Attendants. No Pilots. Just a plane and a deserted gate. I asked someone at another gate and, well, it turns out the flight is delayed. An hour. I head back to the British Airways lounge to see if I can't have a shower.

I was a sweaty mess. Another hot day in London, close to 30 degrees. Not a cloud in the sky absolutely beautiful. I'd been walking all day, and I was exhausted and covered in sweat. After I checked out and had breakfast, I headed up towards Buckingham Palace which was right around the corner from my hotel. I heard someone saying that the changing of the guard was on at 11. I didn't get there by 11, but it was a little more pomp an circustance than a simple changing of the guard. It turns out it was the queen's 80th birthday today. Good timing again. Tons of tourists are surrounding all the streets around the palace. Police everywhere. Irish Guards (the ones in the bearskin hats, lining the streets. Mounted horse brigade in formation in front of the entrance gate. Union Jack bunting flying on every lamp post. Amazing.

A few minutes after I arrive, the parade starts. One formation after another. One carriage with some women, I have no idea who, some royals perhaps. And then an open black carriage with the queen, dressed in purple from head to toe. I'm not exactly startstruck by this sort of thing, on the other, this is not exactly something you see every day. I was just lucky to be in the right place at the right time

I got out of the palace area and away from the hordes of tourists as soon as I could and headed up to Hyde Park, walked along the serpentine lake, around the the Diana memorial fountain (pretty cool by the way), really wishing I had on shorts instead of jeans (what an idiot I am). I left the park and headed down to the Museum District for a peek around the Victoria & Albert Museum. Had never been there before. Interesting collection. I wish I was a little more lucid and able to appreciate it. I strolled around, most enjoying the AC and in a state of dream sleep deprived bliss as I tried to take in the massive Raphael "Cartoons" and the extensive South Asian collection, tons of artifacts and gifts collected and gived to the royal family.

The building itself is worth checking out. I don't know much of the details, but it was bombed fairly heavily by the Germans. When you walk around the outside, you can see where the shellls damaged the facade. Insdie, there's a blessedly cool interior courtyrad with a fountain you cool your feet in and a little cafe selling sandwiches and things. I would have stayed there for the rest of the afternoon, but I wanted to see Phil again. I never know when I'll makle it back this way. Hopefully it won't be another 17 years, but you never know.

He was able to get away for a few hours and we agreed to meet near Brick Lane to get some Bangladeshi food. It was straight shot from South Kensington to the Brick Lane area. Phil had a more circuitious route, had a make a few changes and the Tube was delayed here and there. I waited for him for more than hour, which sucked, not because of the waiting, which I'm never a fan of but can deal with, but because I was starting to feel un stroked and dehydrated. I bought a few bottles of water and found a nice cool place to sit down, The Whitechapel Gallery, as it turns out. Phil finally we turned. We had some Baltis, pappadams and garlic naan at some place on Brick Lane. It was superb. Something I missed on my first trip to the UK.

Phil toured me around the area for about 20 minutes. Then we headed back to the Underground. Phil's train came. We said our goodbyes and he disappeared down the tube. 30 minutes later, my train still hadn't arrived. I wasn't panicing or anything, but I was seriously cutting it close. I was tired, still am as I write this, covered in sweat and ready just to be on my way. The Tube was hot as hell and that didn't help matters. Finally the train arrived. Maybe took 30 minutes to get me back to St. James Park where I had to collect my bags and arrange for a taxi. And you know the rest.

So I'm back at the BA lounge and I find the spa where I can have a shower. I'm going to have to get back into my sweaty clothes, so this isn't going to be the best thing ever, but it will feel good and kill some time while I wait for my delayed flight. Eveything would have great except for two things. One is that the drainage in the shower was fucked and the bathroom flooded. No big deal, except that I hadn't noticed and by the time I realized what was going on, one of my shoes was inundated. It was good thing I didn't have my laptop bag on the floor, eh?

The other thing, a larger problem, was that the AC was busted in the spa so as soon as I showered and dried off, I was sweaty all over again. Pretty pointless excercise.

Now the flight is delayed even further. Orgininally it was 6:15. Then 7:15 and now 7:40. Which means I will probably miss all the the USA v. Italy game which starts locally at 8. I don't rate the USA and I think Italy will spank us, but I'd still like to the see the game.

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17 June 2006Travel
More Traveling

I'm off to Barcelona this afternoon. I'll be there for 5 days so I should have time to catch up on some writing, but I've thought and said that before. I have a few hours before my flight to roam around here in London. I think I'll go off and do some touristy things, Buckingham Palace, museums, Hyde Park, etc. Cheerio!

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16 June 2006Photography
Lots of New Pics

Still haven't had time to post, but I have tons of new pictures going up as I write this. I'm about to go out and meet Jack, one of my old friends from Melbourne. I went to his birthday party last weekend, just one of the many things that I haven't had a chance to write about.

The conference I was attending, @Media, is over. I'm headed off to Barcelona tomorrow. Still a day left to explore London. No time for sleep even though I'm exhausted.

Posted by andrew at 10:57 AM | Comment (1) TrackBack (0)

14 June 2006I'm Confused
My Kingdom for a Bratwurst

I don't know how this is possible since everyone here is in decent shape, many in really good shape and none whatsoever obese, but it seems that Swiss (and the British as well now that I think about it) subsist on a diet of sausage, beer and ice cream. How is that possible?

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13 June 2006American Idle
Busy Busy Busy

Sorry folks. I've been so busy I haven't had time to update the site. Lots has happened. There's tons of things I want to' write about and intend to write about. I'll probably back date everything just to keep the timeline correct and hopefully I can start working on it when I get back to the UK tomorrow where my life won't be as hectic as it's been here in Switzerland.

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06 June 2006Critters
That didn't Take Long

It seems my cats, seemingly normal under regular supervision, are like a couple mental patients who when you look the other way for a minute are smearing their feces all over the walls. Here's a report from my sister tonight:

Mak & Fil are AOK :-)
I filled up the food & water & changed the litter & gave them a couple of treats & some love.

Just a couple of FYIs....

1) There were some scouter ants by the food and by the door. I cleaned up the food bits that were out of the bowl and killed the ants. I don't think there is anything more that can be done at this point, but keep an eye out for more please.

2) One of the kitties either pooed outside the box, or pulled a poo from inside to the bathroom floor & stepped in it more than a couple of times. I cleaned this up and put up the bathroom rug (I figure the cats may eventually either pee or poo on it, so just get it out of the way.)

That's all for now!

Fucking incredible.

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06 June 2006It Really Sucks When...
Another Reason to Hate George Bush

My brother, who is a huge Steelers fan, which makes sense, because like me, he grew up in a hard-working blue-collar steel working family in the heart of Pennsylvania, got an invite to the Steelers visit to the White House last week:

You are cordially invited
to the White House for an event

honoring the

Super Bowl XL World Champion

Pittsburgh Steelers

Friday, June 2, 2006

The White House

South Lawn

Gates open at 12:50 p.m.

Arrive no later than 1:15 p.m.

This invitation is not transferable and space is limited. Please RSVP with your full name, date of birth, and social security number to Tracy Smith at or (202) 456-5170

no later than 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, May 30th

Guests should arrive via the Southeast Visitors entrance.

In the case of inclement weather the event will be cancelled. Please call 202-456-7790 Friday beginning at 7:30 a.m. to check the status of this event.

Photo ID is required for admittance onto White House Complex.

The event was cancelled due to "inclement weather" and instead he was invited to a reception at the office of man on dog boy himself, Rick Santorum, with a few of the players. I don't know if know if he went (Brian did you go?). He was so excited about seeing the team at the White House. It would have beem great. Sorry, Bri.

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