Musings from Meldreth

Missing the Point

2009-06-22T21:11:00.001Z

In a head of foolish, youthful fervour perhaps a year and a half ago, I proclaimed that it didn’t matter what supposedly incumbent Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said about the holocaust or about Israel, so long as he stuck to his words in helping out the disadvantaged in Iran, he was a good president. Oh, how times have changed. The problem in Iran is that more or less permanent bodies such as Guardian Council and the Ayatollahs are understandably reluctant to give up power for what we in the West see as the greater good. Ahmadinejad understands this. He understands that an election, according to the archane pre-Victorian model, was simply an act of the people to advise the ruling elite, in this case the Ayatollahs, who should be permitted to form the government. It would seem that despite Ahmadinejad’s grand claims that he had won over 60% of the vote, the precise figure doesn’t matter. If Mousavi emerged as the President-elect, the revolutionary elite would be under serious enough threat that they might even become a thing of the past, swept away by a green, urban, modern revolution. I was foolish when I said Ahmadinejad cared for his own. Regardless of whether or not he initiated the reprisals and police brutality that left at least 13 dead, he has done nothing to halt the bloodshed. Perhaps that is not in his power, lost in subservience to the ayatollahs. But recently, it seems that he does possess that authority – the family of one leading ayatollah was put in jail over the weekend.

Still, some commentators have said that Mousavi is but the wily, more manicured version of what Ahmadinejad represents, a leadership based not on the people but on those who can offer power. At this time, it happens to be the people who can attract the most attention for Mousavi and thus the most power but, apparently, once the winds shift, Mousavi will be nothing more than a white-haired Ahmadinejad. There’s only way to be sure of what to make of the Iranian elections. Recount. Unfortunately, perhaps even the protesters themselves will be wary of the potent for violence, even if they are lead by Mousavi, the martyr who may not have a cause. Just to clarify, I am still missing the point.

An Alternative Perspective

2009-06-14T21:22:00.003Z

Throughout the western world and perhaps beyond, George Walker Bush is widely regarded as the most incompetent President of the modern era. Swept into office on the back of a Supreme Court ruling, the legitimacy of Bush was always in question and scandal never seemed far behind him, from his failure to go to Vietnam to brushes with drink driving. Whilst President, Bush took America and many other countries to war in Afghanistan (2001-) and Iraq (2003-). There was little evidence and little reason to go to war in the first place and in 2009, there is equally little in terms of a concrete outcome. Likewise, it was on Bush's watch that the American economy began to nose-dive, taking much of the world with it. The problem with these generalizations is that they are so general that they ignore the personal story, the less well-known impact of what others might refer to as Bush Terror. In the United States, Kosovo is synonymous with violence and warfare. People tend to forget that despite the end of the bloodshed, a country is growing in prosper and confidence. And, amazingly, Dubya had a significant role in this rejuvenation. Whilst it was Clinton who got the concept of KFOR off the ground, it was during the second term of Bush that the mandate against Serbian intrusions was finally, sufficiently strengthened. In February 2008, Bush was one of the first international leaders to recognise the Kosovan parliament's declaration of independence. Since then, violence is down, wealth is up and uncharacteristically, George W. Bush had a significant part to play.

Da Blog is Bak

2009-06-14T21:10:00.002Z

Pardon the spelling but yes, its true, Meldreth Musings is back for the summer. After a hideously busy spring, I will endeavor to whet your appetite for all things vaguely current affairs and then some. Yes, in case you were wondering, this is a current affairs blog. That means that everything post-Montpellier, which can be pretty well summarised with the words "China" and "exams" is irrelevant. Happily, my more recent travels to Holland this past week gave me something to write about, which will be up very shortly.

Montpellier '09

2009-03-07T13:28:00.001Z

L’Agenda

21/2/09

Voici, c’est la troisième journée en France et je n’ai vu jamais de la nuage ! C’est incroyable, mais aussi assez froid. Au moment, c’a devenu une expérience magnifique. Seulement une heure après nous avons arrivé au lycée, nous avons parti encore au chez d’une copine de mon correspondant. À sa maison, nous avons rencontré avecz les autres gens de l’échange. Nous avons fait et mangé des crêpes – c’était drôle et délicieux Par contre, ce n’est pas le même maintenant – il y a beaucoup de silence mais j’espère que je le casserai. Ce n’est pas tellement une problème – tous les trois de la famille sont très intéressant. Je pense que, pendant l’augmentation de la connaissance entre nous, il y aura une diminution du silence. Surtout, quand nous visitons avec les amis, c’est très amusant et sociale – comme le grand fête hier soir. Nous dansions et parlions à 4h dans le matin ! Aussi, la visite à la belle ville de Nîmes était très impressionnée. Le musée carré d’art a semblé moderne mais un peu sans-cœur. Au contraire, l’arène et le temps libres ont été des occasions pour faire connaissance de l’Hexagone dans notre image.

22/2/09

Quelle chance ! Après mes paroles d’hier, on a beaucoup de nuage aujourd’hui. C’était une journée pour la détente – nous réveillons entre 9h et 10h. Apres le petit-déjeuner, j’ai lu beaucoup parce qu’il faut que mon ami a fasse ses devoirs. Bien sur, j’ai eu une bonne conversation avec sa mère, sur les sujets comme Paris, le sport, le feu d’été – beaucoup des choses, surtout. Aussi, j’ai eu une petite conversation avec son père. Nous parlions au sujet d’île Maurice. Avant nous sommes allé à la plage, on a mangé un déjeuner dégustant. À la plage, nous avons rencontré avec les autres correspondants et fait des jeux comme le rugby, le foot et le volley. Il y a un petit accident mais néanmoins, c’était un jour fantastique, qui était aidé au soir quand j’ai regardé les « Simpsons » en français. Quelle surprise, c’était plus marrant qu’en anglais ! Et demain, au lycée…

23/2/09

Vous avez nous donné du bon conseil quand vous avez dit, « vivre le différence. » Aujourd’hui, mon corres, Kévin et moi ont rencontré avec mes deux amis que viennent de Hills Road. Quelle surprise, les grosses blagues de mes amis ont cassé toute la glace. Maintenant, tous est confortable au chez il. C’est une couture assez différente que chez moi et bien sur, c’est une famille différente mais surtout, nous nous finalement comprenons.

Aussi, la première journée scolaire de l’échange était fantastique – nous avons rencontré dans un salle de réunion – et quelle réunion ! Il y en assez des boissons et des goûts. Le lycée est très généreux. Après la surprise, une prof a nous donné une visite entre tout le lycée. Puis, j’ai une classe d’histoire-géo où on a discuté beaucoup des choses au sujet de Facebook. C’est un peu drôle parce que les anglais parlaient français et les français parlaient anglais.

À midi, nous avons mangé un déjeuner délicieux encore – j’ai eu un grand panini plus fort qu’en Café-Direct (de Hills Road.) Ensuite, dans le géo (le bâtiment célèbre du lycée,) nous avons une lecture sur les banlieues au cinéma français. C’était très intéressant et c’a aussi aidé notre connaissance d’un sujet très important dans notre société européenne.

Enfin, c’était un jour longue et dur mais cependant aussi un jour avec des surprises et quelque chose comme ça. Surtout c’était magnifique.

24/2/09

Aujourd’hui nous avons visite le village principal de Languedoc-Roussillon, Montpellier. Après un départ du lycée un peu paniqué, nous avons pris le tram á la Place de la Comédie, comme le « Petty Curry » de Montpellier. Au matin, nous avons reçu une promenade guidée dans la ville vieille. Il comportait par la maison du commerce et des industries (qui a partage de la terre avec la maison de Heidelberg.) Aussi, nous avons vu la grande église et l’école de santé. C’était incroyable et, simplement, énorme ! C’était fascinant, en particulier l’ambiance espagnole – c’a devenu plus comme ça quand nous avons pris l’escalier á l’haut niveau de les Arc de Triomphe. Quelle vue ! On a pu voir toute la ville – c’était magnifique, avec les arbres, les bâtiments classiques et les montagnes. Après-ça, on a des temps libres avant la visite au Musée Fabre. Malheureusement, la chose le plus impressionnée du musée, c’était la réaction des soldats de sécurités á nous ! Au soir, nous regarderons le match entre Lyon et Barcelone en TF1. Á demain !

25/2/09

La journée scolaire courte de mercredi, c’est une bonne idée française. Le matin a senti un peu ennuyeux (mais bien sur, il y a quelques des moments drôles.) La raison : au premier part, nous avons révisé aux sujets que nous avons déjà étudié au Hills Road.

Utile, mais ennuyeux. Puis, on a rempli un sondage pour un prof de Montpellier III que est intéressé par les nouvelles technologies. Après un déjeuner au cafeteria, nous sommes allé au centre ville pour faire du shopping. Le dommage a devenu chance – j’ai acheté 2 t-shirts pour 6.5 euros ! Ensuite j’ai vu un film avec mes amis français et anglais. C’était le nouveau film de Clint Eastwood, « Gran Torino. » Il a discuté les problèmes crée par le racisme aux petites-filles américains. Malheureusement, ce n’était pas un film très fort, au contraire á notre journée.

26/2/09

Aujourd’hui, j’ai vu le monde par les yeux d’un ado anglais – j’ai visité un ville français touristique (en cet case, Aigues-Mortes) et j’ai bu du l’alcool au centre-ville. C’était drôle – tous les habitants ont nous regardé. Aigues-Mortes était magnifique – les bâtiments, les murs, etc. Malheureusement, presque de tous les magasins ont ciblé aux touristes. C’était bon pour nous – les pétards ont coûté presque rien mais pour un résultat la ville devient moins classique. C’est le même dans un autre ville comparable – Pingyao, en chine. Il n’y a pas un supermarché mais il y a beaucoup des magasins pour de souvenirs.

Cependant, la journée était fantastique. Le tour du ville était marrant parce que, selon de Tom C, le guide aime les drogues un peu trop. Peut-être, c’est vrai – il a parlé vite il a été très énergique et dynamique – après il a parlé constamment pour 2 heures, néanmoins, comme notre phrase préféré, quelle blague !

Lose the Illusion

2009-03-01T12:51:00.002Z

Bart Jones' 2008 account of the rise and dominance of Hugo Chavez, "Hugo," precipitated a revealing conversation with a Venezuelan friend of mine. During the 2002 attempted coup of Chavez, the Bush Administration adopted a policy disgustingly reminiscent of that of the Latin American side of Reagan's Iran-Contra affair. Otto Reich, closely involved with the Nicaraguan Contras occupied the Latin American desk at the State Department whilst, immediately prior to the attempted whilst, immediately prior to the "coup," $1,000,000 were pumped into Chavez's opposition, via US government agencies such as USAID nonetheless. For the 2-day dictatorship of Pedro Carmona, the US was joined only its close ally El Salvador in endorsing the Venezuelan right who ousted a President who had been democratically elected, chosen by the people on a simple majority. If it wasn't for the actions of the swarms of so-called Chavistas, the US government would have aided and abetted in the abolition of another Latin democracy.
Here my friend enters the equation. She arrived in England from Venezuela in 2003 and disputes Chavez's democratic legitimacy, likening her homeland to the plight of Colombia. Most troubling, she believes that is only a matter of time before the world's most trigger-happy police force, the United States military steps in and removes Chavez. Thus, the realization of the dangerous precedent set by Reich and co. A belief fosters amongst the Latin American elite that democracy can be circumvented by brown-nosing up Washington way. In Venezuela, there aer serious problems in and between the barrios and the gated communities of the elite but unless those problems are addressed by means of a fairly elected government, the class tension will not slacken. It cannot be in the interests of any peace-loving Venezuelan to involve the US in a domestic issue. Even if Chavez bore tyrannical tendencies, he is popularly, democratically elected and is subject to re-election even under the terms of the recent, controversial referendum. Unless all domestic interests absolve to debate and conciliate their differences via democratic due process, the barrios will continue to foster violence and the elites will thus be forced to continue living behind chain-link fences.
Of course, there is an American perspective to this issue. Any American who has been overseas since 2001 will realize just how much respect the US has lost in the 21st century. Barack Obama surely realizes this and, unlike his predecessor, has the brains to respect the theory of war. One should only attack when serious violence is threatened against it. No country should serve as an international police force. That is the responsibility solely of the United Nations. Obama promised change and if the only change is adherence and respect to the above theory, he will have my vote in 2012. There simply cannot be scope for the persistence of the disgusting policies of a crazy old man.
These are the worlds of someone who has lost a loved one due to an American military presence where there was never an American mandate for it. The pain of never being able to know a family member is something nobody should have to endure. If people must suffer such a circumstance due to a morbid desire to circumvent democracy, everything will be lost.

Vote 'Yahu, Vote B-Net

2009-02-10T22:38:00.003Z

At the risk of falling off the narrow, two-state path I so dearly tread, I advise you all to vote Benjamin Netanyahu for Prime Minister of Israel. There are plentiful reasons to crawl along this radical, illogical line. For instance, the parents of Tzipi Livni were strongly involved in Irgun, a Zionist movement that aimed to overcome the British occupancy that marred the East Mediterranean until that fateful day in 1948 when Israel won its nationhood at the expense of a few million Palestinians and their respective livelihoods. A country that wishes to subsist peacefully in the Middle East cannot bear such bloodlines in its highest office, but that is just one reason to vote Netanyahu.
The thing with B-Net (which ironically sounds a little similar to B'Tselem) is that he can appeal to many tastes. If you have a problem with the Israeli military incursions into neighbouring countries, your favourite 'Yahu has something to offer. He successfully alienated the Clinton clan in 1998 when he pointedly met with Silly Billy's foes, including one Newt Gringrich. Now that President Obama has whipped out a master stroke and appointed Silly Hilly as Secretary of State, one can be reasonably sure that the unquestioned financial and military favours will not continue. Vote B-Net, vote peace.
Perhaps most importantly, the world currently possesses one prominent, quotable Head of State, "Uncle" Hugo Chavez. A vote for 'Yahu will give the press another mirthful opportunity. The ongoing preparations for the United States and Iran to shoot breeze at one another will surely light a fire under a man such as B-Net. And you know what that means? More gems, such as "It’s 1938, and Iran is Germany and Iran is racing to arm itself with atomic bombs." In a reverse scenario, the speaker would be jailed for anti-semitism or forced to recant by the Pope but no, 'Yahu's just a yahoo, so we can look forward to more controversial hilarity if B-Net becomes President.

Snow Snow Snow

2009-02-06T21:36:00.002Z

Here in the UK, the big guy in the sky only typically allows one, maybe two days of noticeable snowfall per year. In the past week, it has snowed for six days. In Cambridgeshire, many students have only had two or three days in the classroom over the corresponding time frame. But why? Despite the unusual frequency of the snowfall, no day saw more than 2 inches of snow. Even when the snow was falling thick and fast, as in this morning, Cambridge kept ticking along. For a first, the trains were early and there appeared to be little delay for buses in the city center. My surprise that school remained open emanated more from the pattern established by the surprise closings the previous few days rather than any serious concern over our safety and well being. Evidently, the school bore no real such concerns as well - teachers and staff had no real problem with the pitched snowball battles on and around campus so I gradually became used to the idea that school was going to be on. With exams creeping ever closer, we simply can't afford to miss more school time. Thankfully, the school coped well today with the snow so with any luck we have seen the last of the disturbances.
This isn't a complete knock on the government infrastructure here. Whilst so-called pragmatism has seen the economy take a £3 billion hit and grit supplies all but eliminated, the country has proven that a few inches of snow are quite a small obstacle to overcome. Obviously in more westerly regions such as Dorset, which saw over 20 inches of snow in places, severe disruption is inevitable but such conditions were rare across the country as a whole. The problem was more the inexperience of dealing with the snow rather than any practical problems caused by it. That is a mercifully small barrier to overcome so with any luck, normality will return within the coming days.

A Masterclass In Box-Ticking

2009-01-27T22:19:00.004Z

Just a week ago, Barack Obama was sworn as the 44th President of the United States. Long ago, during the infancy of his campaign, Obama was perceived as acutely sensitive to the Arab cause, befriending several leading Palestinians. This move was canceled out by a subservience to the Jewish lobby during great swaths of the election campaign but Obama looks set to become a man of actions as well as words, or so his first week in the Oval Office would have us believe.
Of course, the most impressive thing about Obama is his tacit humility and sympathy. Only an hour after his inaugural address, the President found himself issuing a statement denoting his hope that the recently stricken Senator Edward Kennedy would recover to a functional state. This is a man definitely wants to do good, to be seen in a positive light not just by his fellow Americans but also across the world.
It was under this context that Obama gave his first interview as President to Al Arabiya, promising that via "a language of respect," he would show that "Americans are not your enemy." While some political anlaysts have pinned up this reconcilliatory gesture as a nod to the Bush Administration, who offered an interview to the Saudi-owned network in 2004, Obama's words provoked a positive reaction in the Middle East. Hisham Melhem, the journalist who conducted the interview commented that, "the reaction has been phenomenal. People thought the president was sincere, authentic."
Obviously sincerity and authenticity are very small steps on the path to repairing America's tarnished image but they are on the trail nonetheless, something that Manouchehr Mottaki, Iranian Foreign Minister recognized, declaring, "we are in a turning point. We are at a milestone now." Given that those words came from a delegate of a government that was more a belligerent than an acquaintance of the Bush administration, their impact is huge. Even for there to be a possibility of normalization represents the change that Obama so often spoke of during his campaign. The Syrian state news agency reported that Al-Assad expressed "hope that dialogue would prevail to overcome the difficulties that have hindered real progress toward peace, stability and prosperity in the Middle East." In one fell swoop, Obama has captured the imagination of the world. Here we have a leader who at the very least will commence a program of actual dialogue. This desire to make amends was evidenced by the appointment of George Mitchell as Special Envoy to the Middle East. Within days, Mitchell had embarked on a tour of Israel, the West Bank, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia in the hope of solidfying a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
However, voters back home will not reelect Obama if he does not solve America's economic problems. It appears he is aware of this circumstance and sides with the general populous, sending an important message that instead of an executive entwined with the oil industry, the United States would be served by a man with the interests of the people at his heart. After the release of the latest Wall Street bonus figures showed little change from the boom of 2004, Obama declared, "There will be time for them to make profits, and there will be time for them to get bonuses. Now is not that time. And that's a message that I intend to send directly to them." Indeed, Obama backed up his powerful words by ordering Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to cancel Citigroup's purchase of a new executive jet after recently having taken receipt of $45 billion as part of the government bailout plan.
For the last two years, Obama has spoken of change. Not limited to the two previous examples, Obama has made a real change even in the first two weeks of his presidency.

I'll take the high road and you'll take the low road...

2009-01-17T23:27:00.004Z

Israel today displayed its political savvy, declaring a unilateral ceasefire that will in theory end the Israeli atrocities in Gaza but in reality will only see an escalation to the dire plight of the Palestinians. The bombs will stop but whilst Ehud Olmert and Tzipi Livni gaze from the high road to hatred, the situation within the Gaza Strip will worsen. Israeli troops will remain deep inside the Gaza Strip, thereby intensifying the blockade that will be forgotten now that the Knesset has shown some compassion, making the first move towards peace. As to who they were competing with it is hard to say. Hamas, the Gaza Strip's democratically elected government has been destroyed bec ause it was not in line with Israeli principles. Many of its members are dead and its leader, Khaled Mashaal, is apparently exiled in Damascus, isolated from returning some political stability to the territory that under the rule of law is his to govern.
Instead, conscripts and reservists from the enemy will patrol the streets, ensuring that Hamas cannot regroup or resupply. There is no means for a free and fair election to establish government whilst Israeli troops roam the streets so it is fortunate that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon sees this only as a temporary solution, describing the ceasefire as "the first step leading to the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza." Ban must be hoping that successive steps will involve a withdrawal also of Israeli planes from Gazan skies and Israeli boats from Gazan waters. So long as the blockade continues, revenge from Hamas will have real justification and anti-Western sentiment the world over will only continue to ferment.
Indeed, the War on Terror has failed to eliminate the root cause of the problem. In less than three years, Israel has killed around 3500 Palestinians and Lebanese whilst suffering just 49 civilian deaths. This is summary murder. When the number of Palestinians who died exceeds by far the number of rockets and mortars fired (750 apparently), things have gone beyond retaliation. Such barefaced disproportionality does nothing more than cause abject fury atthe Israeli cause and by extension, the financial and political backing of Western powers, the US and UK in particular. As long as the governments of those countries fail to condemn Israeli-perpetrated breaches of international law, terror attacks will continue and innocent people will continue to die, all while Israel is praised by Western leaders for its bold move to further the cause of peace in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Dedicated to the memory of Malcolm H. Kerr, October 8. 1931- January 18. 1984.

Self-Persecution is a Terrible Thing

2009-01-11T12:10:00.002Z

Whilst the State of Israel has apparently been torn ragtag by Hamas rockets since the dawn of time, the local Jewish community recently fell victim to attack from one of their own.
At Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge - where I am a Lower Sixth student -, there has been an undercurrent of support for human rights. The school has our own chapter of Amnesty International and also had two former students feature in international news coverage after climbing phone masts in Beijing in protest of PRC's treatment of the Tibetan people.
This undercurrent continued in the form of the Lower Sixth production, an adaptation of Fiddler on the Roof which in essence discusses the responsibility of Jews the world over to maintain their traditions even when impeded. Our Director, Richard Fredman - himself Jewish - seemed uncomfortable with a message that may be interpreted as Zionist within a defined secular education system. It was presumably for this reason that, at the end of the show, a video was shown featuring Israeli tanks and warplanes as well as soldiers rounding up Palestinians.
What followed was a hateful torrent from the local Jewish community. The video, according to a spokesperson of the Cambridge and Suffolk Jewish Community confirmed that Cambridge is an "institutionally anti-Jewish city," "a blot on cultural landscape." The spokesperson then slammed Mr Fredman as "misguided," an abuser of public funds. Julian Cohen-Gold, the father of one of my schoolmates, claimed that Fredman had no right to portray the "very strong political message," especially since it has "no parallel with the pogroms." The influential Jewish Chronicle saw requisite to throw its weight around and claimed that Mr Fredman had intentionally developed a piece of "anti-Zionist and even anti-Jewish propaganda." May I ask, how is it that a Jew can be anti-Jewish?
Mr Fredman thankfully recognised this propensity to find offense where where there was none and preemptively wrote in his programme notes, "I make no apology for dedicating this production to all people forced from their homes by intolerance, ignorance and fear." Mr Cohen-Gold must have been looking to avoid the parallels because they were pointed out to him in the program and then reinforced when the house lights went on at the end. Our principal, Ms. Sinclair offered a vague apology but reiterated that Mr Fredman had raised awareness of political and moral issues "with considerable success and with the college's full support".

I have never been the victim of self-persecution so perhaps I just cannot recognise the symptoms but nonetheless, I consider the depiction of our city, with thriving Muslim and East Asian districts, as a "blot on the cultural landscape" as an extremely offensive remark, especially because the nature of its origin was that the director of a high school musical rightly refused to fall into the political hypochondriac's mindset that seems to plague so many of his religious peers.

The Great Escape

2009-01-07T22:26:00.002Z

Yet again, it appears that the Israel government has gotten away with summary murder, riding above the realm of international law. During the ongoing incursion into the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces have destroyed international installations and killed countless civilians, knowingly in breach of the Geneva Conventions. This is the latest episode in a long succession of violations that have been almost continuous since the 1970s. The mere act of control over the borders of the Palestinian Territory's borders constitutes a de facto invasion and de jure occupation: Israeli troops are denying Palestinians access to food and other aid via a blockade supposedly aimed at deterring Hamas rockets. Such an action fails to realize that it also constricts the ability of the Palestinian Authority to govern the West Bank but more importantly does recognize that in practical terms, Hamas is the government of Gaza and that a cease in rocket attacks will only occur once Israeli forces the right of rule to Hamas, who in 2006 won a free and fair election and have also omitted their call for the destruction of Israel from their manifesto. Simply put, Ehud Olmert and his advisers have again failed to realize that terrorism and crime only escalate when infrastructure fails to exist. This failure led to humiliation in the invasion of Lebanon in 2006 and looks set to turn off the tap of goodwill towards Israel with Ban Ki-Moon demanding an immediate halt to military operations. Perhaps if the Israeli government followed the western model and tried those accused of terror in courts rather than executing summary justice, the bloodshed and condemnation would be avoided.
My use of the word condemnation perhaps is unjust for whilst Ban Ki-Moon and thus the UN are furious, that body matters little to Olmert. Outgoing President George W. Bush remained unflinching in his support of the Israeli cause, explaining how,"I understand Israel's desire to protect itself and that the situation now taking place in Gaza was caused by Hamas," whilst him imminent successor Barack Obama has not issued a statement supportive of either belligerent.
Gordon Brown remained agnostic, declaring a need for "security to both the Palestinian people and the Israeli people". This is broadly line with the opposition Conservatives as well as France's Nicolas Sarkozy. Indeed, only LibDem leader Nick Clegg called for an arms embargo and demanded that the Prime Minister condemn the wrongdoings of Israel, joined by China's Hu Jintao in criticising Israeli actions. Hugo Chavez completed the field of non-Middle Eastern political leaders and took very heavy action, expelling the Israeli ambassador. Unfortunately, that move will be of little consequence when Israeli's guardian angel fails to whisper in her ear that the needless violence must come to an end for things to progress.

Dr Mr President

2009-01-04T23:04:00.000Z

Dr Mr President

I shall never know my grandfather, for no better reason than his country’s continued financial and political support of Israel’s incursions into and invasions of large parts of Lebanese territory. My grandfather, Malcolm H. Kerr died when he was shot by two Hezbollah gunmen outside his office on the campus of the American University of Beirut on January 18 1984 as a result of an order issued by the Islamic Republic of Iran to rid Lebanon of so-called “infidels.”
That decree would likely never have been passed had US sponsorship for abusive governments and regimes not continued throughout the second half of the 20th Century. The Shah of Iran, a western sympathizer was guilty of huge human rights abuses as well as inefficient rule, the combination of which can be attributed to the rise of the Islamic Revolution that saw fanaticism stew across the Middle East. More pressingly, since the days of Ariel Sharon, Israel has adopted a policy beyond international law in terms of so-called “retaliation” against the civilians of the Palestinian Territories and Lebanon.
Likewise, the two greatest beneficiaries of US Foreign Aid, Israel and Egypt are controlled by Washington-leaning, repressive governments. Hosni Mubarak et al have rounded up many members of the Muslim Brotherhood as a subsequent favour to George W. Bush’s administration. Israel, by far the greatest recipient of US foreign aid has used the money to develop perhaps the most ruthlessly efficient military in the Eastern Mediterranean and the wider Middle East. This military they have used to invade Lebanon and run rampant over the beleaguered Palestinians. The systematic elimination of the remnants of Palestine has continued for well over 25 years and yet our great country, the only one with real power to bring it to a halt just stands by. Of course, this creates massive animosity for the US and Israel amongst not only Islamic fundamentalists but civilians the world over. This January of 2009, a Danish man shot two Israelis in Odense as some sort of mitigation of the Israeli bombing of Palestine and yet America allows the slaughter to go on. So long as that is the case, civilians will take the law into their own hands. For the stability of our country and the world, please act now Mr President.`
Mr President, your olad friend Jeremiah Wright was right, if blunt in describing the terrible attacks of September 11th 2001 as “chickens coming home to roost.” What should have been perceived as a wake-up call was coloured instead as an excuse for the killing to continue. My heart goes out to the families of the soldiers who gave their lives for freedom and liberty but those were not the motives their commanders had in mind. Does anybody know how many civilians have died not only in Iraq but in Afghanistan too?
Mr President, so long as our country continues to sponsor the Israeli persecution of Palestine, innocent civilians, American and otherwise will continue to needlessly die. 230 civilians were killed on the first day of the Israeli Air Force’s current bombing campaign. The replying salvos of rockets penetrated an Israeli school that was thankfully closed for the day. Hundreds of children would have otherwise died because their government had, using American money, set off an awful chain reaction. The same people that witness daily the Israeli Army-perpetrated abuses of Palestinians suffer as a result of their government’s morbid policy.
Mr President, you have a wonderful opportunity to restore some kind of normalcy to a region of the world that was once so impressive as to foster three of the world’s strongest religions. Not since Jimmy Carter has any President been willing to talk to those countries regarded as enemies. I assure you that a great deal of your popularity outside the borders of the United States derives purely from your billing as a man who will institute a more intelligent, even-handed foreign policy. In a poll of non-Americans, 75% of the sample preferred you to your adversaries due to this. If we extend this trend across the whole world of non-Americans, 4.5 billion people believe that you are the man to steady the ship. It is true that your duty is to the American people so bear this in mind: Dozens of families lost loved ones in Lebanon. Many thousands more lost loved ones because their sons and daughters fought for what was an apparently justified cause in various theatres across the Middle East and yet still, the root cause of the problem, Israel’s unchecked extermination of the Palestinian people continues to be so by their greatest benefactor. All you have to do is condition their aid package and the killing will fall away.
Mr President, it is in your interest to constrict our tax-funded aid package to Israel. This would eventually lead to an end to the illegal Israeli land, sea and air blockades of the Palestinian territories, opening up mental and actual trade routes to two of the world’s most resilient economies in the face of the global financial crises, Iran and Lebanon. Instead, that possibility is marred by the persistence of the Jewish lobby whilst also diverting funds to Tel Aviv that will ultimately taint the hands of our country’s taxpayers, a country that since 2003 has been trying to repair its so awfully broken image.
We elected you as the man to help us with that process.
Mr President, the international community has pleaded with the Israeli government to bring a close to the slaughter. You have to opportunity to bring down the role of America as a perpetrator and instigator of violence and warfare in the Middle East. If I, a 17 year-old, can recognise this then so surely does the man who was once a hero to me.

Giving Back

2008-12-30T18:52:00.000Z

I’m one of those people that like to be busy, busy beyond the realm of the desk. It rarely matters what the task at hand is, just that there is a task. Therefore, eager to avoid the holiday doldrums, I took up the opportunity to contribute a few hours to a homeless luncheon at St. Augustine’s Church in nearby Santa Monica, California.

Initially, I felt struck by a terrible case of cold feet, confronted with the thought that spending time and making contact with people a lot less fortunate than myself would be an awfully awkward and painful experience.

So as we turned into a parking garage on 5^th Avenue, I had that dull sinking feeling befitting usually of an experience that does not end well. It was with that sense of foreboding that I trundled across to St Augustine’s and descended into the basement, where the lunch would take place.

Quickly, the tides changed: the friendly, organised ambience within fought back against any worrying premonitions. The fact that we were all told what to do was immensely helpful, meaning that we had a comfortable sense of purpose when the downtrodden, unemployed and homeless came streaming down the stairs, gleaning for a drink and some food but perhaps more importantly some festive cheer. The servers mingled with the guests, creating a nice ambience that also procured some interesting stories, such as the visiting couple from Holland who had lost their credit card.

The meal of ham, yams, bread and pie went down well, accompanied by milk, coffee and fruit punch. Smiles only grew when warm hats and gloves as well as umbrellas were distributed in an attempt to help the guests combat the unusually cold and wet weather. Soon enough, the guests left to test out their gear and so the ensuing clean-up operation began. Reserves were packed off to the Salvation Army and homeless shelters whilst the helpers grabbed a plate of food. The younger folk engaged in a box-crushing session whilst the more disciplined adults battened down the kitchen. Everyone participated in some facet of this stage as well, reminiscent of just why the lunch was such a success: everyone pulled together for a common cause, spreading the Christmas cheer.

Ways and Means

2008-12-08T20:23:00.002Z

Written for the Hills Road Phoenix, Edition 17/12/08

It has been almost 30 years since an Islamic revolution gripped Iran in 1979 and in that long tenure, the country has been perceived as the scourge of the free and fair world. Whilst diplomatic relations with much of the EU have been reinstated, contact with the United States has not reached the heights of an exchange of ambassadors. The country has constantly been the subject of press speculation and UN scrutiny and sanction.

This icy façade has fissured. Beginning in 2006, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom began to forge a working friendship with Tehran Mayor Mohammad Ghalibaf, in contrast to the militaristic sentiment of 2007 and 2004 that culminated with a total of 29 Royal Navy personnel being seized by Iranian forces. Indeed, even outgoing US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice said that “the diplomatic course is really the best course.”

All this is good and well but when ill will is allowed to ferment at the uppermost levels of government, things do not bode well. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recognised this and set a precedent when he congratulated President-Elect Barack Obama with a personal letter, saying, “I hope you will be able to take fullest advantage of the opportunity to serve and leave behind a positive legacy.”

Whilst Obama did not flatter his Iranian counterpart with a personal response, there is still the propensity for serious talks to occur: the ice has been broken and should remain so, given that dialogue has been initiated. Even if Obama never responds to Ahmadinejad, the very fact that the letter was sent represents an important progression in terms of the governance of Iran: previously the President was merely a puppet for the Ayatollahs – religious leaders who had monopolised control since the 1979 revolution. Now, the President has established contact with the “infidels,” a sure sign that political control has become increasingly secular, even modern.

Back in the Europe and the United States, politicians and whole governments have embraced the internet, campaigning via media such as social networking site Facebook or popular video-sharing site Youtube. Making up for lost time, Iran is not far behind – Ahmadinejad and his multilingual aides have set up a blog, available in English, French, Arabic and Farsi.

It speaks of a reconciliation, if not between the two governments of the US and Iran then between the people of those two countries. In one post, entitled “A Reply to American Mother’s Message,” the President or more likely a ghost writer assures the mother that her son would return home from the Iraq war because, “Certainly Almighty God would help him.”

This sympathy is not a lonely occurrence amongst a swarm of rants. In another post entitled “Merry Christmas to Everyone,” Ahmadinejad spreads the holiday spirit by describing Christ as the “A messenger of peace, devotion and love based upon monotheism and justice.” The mirth is preceded by a philosophical reflection, remarking that, “the dignity, benevolence, peace and tranquillity of the human beings have been taken to abattoir and slaughtered. And then, lie and deception are positioned for honesty and truth.”

Surprisingly, Ahmadinejad recognises that this is a plight of the whole world, not just the scourge of the infidels of the West, saying that this was a problem, “In occupied Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa, and South America and even in Europe and North America.” Once more, this is a hopeful sign that the reign of the Ayatollahs is a thing of the past. The very fact that the blog is available in English represents the notion that the Iranian government wants to communicate with the West. This isn’t to say that Ahmadinejad is a knight in shining armour as his country has done some terrible things, for example the use of stoning as capital punishment but there is a recognition that modernisation might after all be a good idea.

However, ugly sentiment is still directed at him from the West. Americans who have commented on his blog have hoped that “a bullet is put in [Ahmadinejad’s] head very soon. Similarly, a Briton wrote, “you are a despicable man.” Perhaps more importantly, an Iranian poster was allowed to sarcastically applaud his President. Ahmadinejad has shown the guile to open himself to international critique, unimaginable mere years ago. It doesn’t matter if the blog is a hoax, written by aides, censured beyond recognition. Somewhere in the upper levels of Iranian government, there has been a decision to welcome back the wider world with peace and goodwill.

Note: President Mahmoud Ahmadinjad’s blog is available at www.ahmadinejad.ir

Avery's Recycled Insults

2008-12-05T22:44:00.003Z

Prior to their recent match-up versus the Calgary Flames, Dallas Stars forward Sean Avery approached the media behind the back of his coach, Dave Tippett. Defying a supposed gentleman's rule throughout the locker-rooms of the NHL, Avery then remarked, "I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don't know what that's about."
Obviously, the intention of such a remark was nothing more and nothing less than to rile up Dion Phaneuf and his girlfriend (and Avery's ex,) Elisha Cuthbert. His intentions were slanderous but his words were not. One has to conjugate his words very euphemistically to get anything near sexual connotations out of them, something which it appears Gary Bettman's office tried to do. If that is not the case, then what did Avery say that was so awful? OK, he longwindedly commented on the private life of a colleague, Dion Phaneuf - who just happens to be a huge marketing pawn but even so, what is the motivaton for the NHL to hand Avery a 6-game ban pending an anger management evaluation? He went out of his way to call out a fellow player on his personal life in front of the press and got 6 games whilst Tom Kostopolous, who carried a criminal record, basically broke Mike van Ryn and wound up with a 3-game suspension. Colin Campbell, in charge of disciplinary issues for the league has long been seen as ridiculously inconsistent but this takes that cake - Avery didn't actually directly insult anyone.
That said, there is another reason for the harsh sentencing: the NHL had been looking to suspend Avery ever since he created a new rule by "screening" future Hall-of-Famer, Martin Brodeur. When he signed on as a summer intern at Vogue, the conservative bastion of the hockey elite saw this as a vicious affront. Thus, without even delivering a cheap hit, Avery finds himself banished to the press box for at least 6 games.
See, there's another reason for his sentencing: even on his team, very few players even find him aquaintable, let alone friendly. Earlier in the season, things got bad enough for Mike Modano to speak out against Avery and his partner in crime, Steve Ott. In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Kings captain Dustin Brown said, "The more people talk about it the more he'll do stuff like this." Brown was bullied by Avery in his first season with the Kings. In short, a mutual hate for Avery unites a lot of NHL locker-rooms. His influence was counterproductive for the game. "Was," as opposed to "is." As Dave Tippett said, he can only come back in the players want him to. Being such an unpopular figure, it was only natural for the league to throw a few pages of the book at him.
So there you have it: Avery, circumstantially, looks to have been used and abused by the league but in reality did everyone around him a favour in opening his door away from the NHL. Of course, there is just one moment of hilarity left: Avery isn't the first man to use the phrase "sloppy seconds" to describe Dion Phaneuf's relationship with Elisha Cuthbert: it was first featured on a blog several months ago. So desperate for attention was he that he took the words out of the mouths of us "citizen journalists" and came out looking like a fool, a fool. Let's just hope that isn't an omen.

Not to sound cliched...

2008-11-25T17:37:00.003Z

There is no "I" in "team," and never can an "I" precede the word "team."

Former Arsenal captain, William Gallas, failed to recognize this when he went before the media recently and revealed a supposed "dressing room rift" during the 4-4 tie versus Tottenham. Coincidentally, this press conference was called to reveal Gallas's autobiography. I believe that would define put yourself before the team. This move was all the more perturbing given not only his reputation on the training ground but also because Arsenal is widely known to be greater than the sum of its parts. Arsene Wenger was equally worried and removed the armband from the 31 year-old rearguard who had, in all honesty, been faltering since Eduardo was torn apart at Birmingham City last year.

Wenger yesterday installed 21 year-old dynamo Cesc Fabregas as captain on a permanent basis. Some members of the media are already questioning the appointment but ultimately Fabregas has the links from the starting 11 on down to unite a dressing room recently struck by controversy. Whilst the need of such an appointment has me a little confused, Arsenal has been Fabregas's team since the day Thierry Henry left for the allegedly greener pastures of Barcelona. Here's what I don't understand: what amounts to Arsenal's youth team beat full-strength Sheffield United and Wigan Athletic sides by an aggregate score of 9-0. Such a resounding achievement whiffs of squad chemistry, and if the first team is rid of its aged annoyances, such as Gallas and Mikael "Stick a fork in it" Silvestre, there is no reason why Arsenal can't spring up the Premier League tables once more.

For reassurance, Wenger need only look across the pond to the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League. Since the pre-lockout Bertuzzi saga, the former West Coast Express line of Brendan Morrison, Todd Bertuzzi and Captain, Markus Naslund had been a destabilising force in the locker room, battling the Sedin twins for offensive supremacy. The rift was apparently settled when Bertuzzi was shipped to Florida for goaltender extraordinaire Roberto Luongo. The saviour collected 47 wins, tying Bernie Parent's record as the Canucks recorded their most succesful regular season. After a seven game series against the Dallas Stars, the Canucks succumbed in 5 to the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Anaheim Ducks. Then 2007-08 happened: the season finished on a bitter note with a 7-1 loss to the Calgary Flames and the firing of then-GM, Dave Nonis.

Then, Mike "Moneyball" Gillis took the reigns. Since then, the team was lost just once in pre-season and is 14-6-2 on the year, good for 5th in the NHL. And the reason: locker room unity and camaraderie. A cohesive unit, the Canucks are greater than the sum of the parts. Arsenal should be too. Arsene knows...what he has to do.

They listened!

2008-11-17T23:11:00.002Z

Five minutes after my post earlier today, the IDF let food aid into Gaza!

Courtesy of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Israel opened a border crossing into the Gaza Strip on Monday for the first time in two weeks, according to UN officials, allowing limited aid to cross into the impoverished territory despite resumed militant rocket attacks.

Chris Gunness, spokesman for the UN Relief and Works Agency, told the BBC that eight of its trucks carrying powdered milk and luncheon meat were allowed into Gaza with the convoy.

The Israeli military said about 30 trucks had entered the territory, while the decision to allow more shipments would depend on whether the rocket fire continued.

"This will be gone in a matter of days, and what happens then?" the UN's Gunness said.

Gaza's 1.5 million residents have been forced to contend with food and fuel shortages since Israel sealed its borders to Gaza earlier this month. Egypt, which also shares a border with the territory, has also kept its border crossings closed.

Between a Wall and a Hard Place

2008-11-17T14:09:00.002Z

Up until the moment when planes began falling out of the sky over the Eastern United States on September 11th, 2001, the plight of Palestine had enjoyed reasonable status on broadsheets eitehr side of the Atlantic. In the past eight years, US-led incursions into Iraq and Afghanistan has distracted the press, who up until very recently have stocked the frontpages so heavily with tales of carbombs and and assasinations that articles on those war-torn corners of the world have become mundane. Whilst the situation in those two countries is deserving, even needing of media coverage, it has afforded the Israeli government a curtain of smoke and mirrors behind which it can flout its influence over its unwilling dependent , Palestine.

In Gaza, 80% of the population live below the poverty line with 35% unemployed. Some may argue that this situation is a product of their own doing, or more accurately Hamas's own doing but given that Israel has, since 1991, instituted a tight closure policy over the state, thus reducing trade and migration to a quite literal standstill, it is hard to see how Ehud Olmert can still reiterate that the dire situation is not his fault. The GDP per capita is slightly above $1000. Whether this would be the case had the Israeli airforce not flattened the airport near Ramallah is an interesting question, one that the Prime Minister's office is not keen to reflect upon. Mark Regev, Olmert's spokesman, claims that the Gazan people were being "held hostage" to Hamas's "extremist and nihilist" ideology which was causing undoubted suffering. This confuses me for two reasons. Unless Hamas is a front for Mossad or some such organisation, its membership would largely be Gazan. Why would anybody hold themselves hostage? The second issue is that Israel and Israel alone has the power to allow imports into the Strip. People would not be dying of malnutrition if Israel had a) not allowed things to deteriorate to the extent that a militant organization like Hamas could take "control" or b) simply allow the Strip to trade reasonably freely. Unfortunately, as Hareetz.com suggests, this may be exactly what Ariel Sharon's old cronies want, an excuse to wreak further havoc in Gaza. Thankfully, the smoke is blowing away, heavy press coverage is returning to the region, the Red Cross is at the very least, pushing the Israeli government to allow food aid to pass through the closure policy. The world is watching. Time to make ammends. There is a chance to be good again.

Letters...of hope

2008-11-07T17:35:00.006Z

The world keeled over with joy at around GMT 4:20 early Wednesday when Barack Obama secured the states of California, Oregon and Washington and with it the necessary votes to win the Presidency. Throughout America, people reveled in their new found sense of self-confidence. Internationally, peopled basked in the realization that this impending version of America would not be as foolish as its predecessors.
Even Mahmoud Ahmadinejad saw something in Barack Obama's "Change We Can Believe In" mantra, congratulating our new President-Elect on "gaining the majority of the vote. The Iranian President went on to remark on Obama's proposed foreign policy mindset, saying that, "Iranians will welcome such changes." Them and me too. The 30th anniversary of the 1979 Embassy siege is quickly advancing and yet the thaw of diplomatic relations between the two countries has not been forthcoming. The unfortunate thing is that if it was the Iranian Government that served its purpose in governing the country and did not let the Ayatollahs run around, Iranian-American relations would be a lot more amicable. Obviously that's like Gordon Brown telling the Queen where to go but nonetheless, proof lays in the friendship that has developed between Gavin Newsom, Mayor of San Francisco and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Mayor of Tehran. Now with Ahmadinejad's virtual statement of intent and Obama's promises, maybe, just maybe, US-Iranian relations can begin to approach stability.
Of course, the power of the Ayatollahs is not to be underestimated - they were rumored to be behind the temporary displacement of Ahmadinejad earlier this month, which was officially put down to exhaustion. A man who is threatened like that will be less inclined to break from the past, due largely to the sheer difficultly of such an action. It seems as if it was truly Ahmadinejad and Qalibaf who controlled the country, Iran would be well on the way to reconciliation with the community but unfortunately such a situation is not likely to occur in the foreseeable future. That isn't to say such a situation would be unsavory - a secular society will have to be put in place for that to happen, another unlikely event. After all, who would want to relinquish power.
Unfortunately, in a move that underlined the political and religious complexities of the Middle East, Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister warned against unconditional dialogue between the American and Iranian Presidencies: "dialogue at this time is liable to broadcast weakness." Livni is missing the point. As Obama himself said in reference to the poorer, rural White Americans, "It's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy." That quote also transfers beautifully the situation of Israel: surrounded by those with opposing views, it follows the suite of the aforementioned demographic. Unfortunately, this mindset - which, thankfully, is restricted largely to the Army and Government, has the ability to destabilize a whole region, as it has for so long. As soon as that changes, things can begin to seriously progress. Until that point, Livni's perception that her government's word can send ripples through the region will remain frighteningly true.
As if echoing that last thought, Barack Obama today declared that he would be reviewing the Iranian president's letter of congratulations and responding appropriately, rather than reacting in a "knee-jerk fashion". Had Livni not gone and ruined this sense of goodwill, perhaps Obama would not have been dragged into discussion in the Iranian Parliament, where he was criticised. The Speaker, Ali Larijani said "It [Obama's reviewing of the letter] signals a continuation of the erroneous policies of the past," he said. "Change has to be strategic, not just cosmetic."A fair analysis - at least Larijani had enough to dexterity to not throw a spanner too far into the works. On the other hand, Livni and the Kadima Party are putting one-upmanship over their country's safety, blind to the fact that a resolution of differences between the US and Iran and all its implications can only be beneficial to Israel. We can only hope Barack Obama does not pick up her rose-tinted spectacles.

Through the Night: Liveblogging Election 2008

2008-11-05T00:25:00.066Z

Tonight's the night. Across America, people are flocking to the polls as the world watches with bated breath. Who will it be, the presumptive Barack Obama or dark horse, John McCain? Plus, the Vancouver Canucks take on the Nashville Predators starting 03:00GMT.

00:27GMT: Predictably, Barack Obama takes Vermont and its 3 electoral college votes whilst Kentucky and its 8 votes go to John McCain. As the BBC newscasters have been reiterating, this is expected, given that in the case of Vermont, the state has gone blue in the past four elections.

00:33GMT: My condolences to the family of those who died in the Hanover bus crash.

00:45GMT: I am now officially just another corporate sell-out, having registered with Google's AdSense program.

00:51GMT: Apparently Fidel Castro is backing Obama. Whilst that is probably the case, he shouldn't say it too loudly - don't want to risk pushing away conservative democrats.

00:55GMT: BBC has called South Carolina as Republican, still as expected. Some networks are also giving West Virginia to the GOP.

00:57GMT: The BBC ticker is calling South Carolina a "key battleground." Not sure about that.

00:59GMT: McCain currently stands at a 16-3 lead in terms of Electoral College votes but with around 1.5 minutes remaining until a very blue close of voting, normalcy is soon to be restored.

01:03GMT: Blink and you miss it. I lambast a friend for his footballing beliefs and now Obama leaps out to a projected 67-16.

01:08GMT: Maine and Jersey go to Obama, sweeping further ahead to a 103-34 lead.

01:11GMT: Massachusetts, one of the two states along with California that I could register to vote in once I turn 18 goes blue. Thank god it isn't an English county.

01:13GMT: A lull descends on the BBC studio as the flood of results coming in slows to a trickle.

01:15GMT: Obama up 60% to 40% in Miami-Dade and Orange counties, 52% to 47% in Osceola. Booya!!! (Yes, I'm beyond "words.")

01:18GMT: McCain has a slight lead in Indiana but with only 32% of precincts in. The BBC are talking of Pennsylvania as a "key battleground." This time I agree.

01:25GMT: Choirboys are hogging the airtime on BBC. Where are the results??!!

01:28GMT: According to the Los Angeles Times, Ohio, Florida and Virginia are too close to call but are leaning the way of Barack Obama!

01:32GMT: My friend and I agree that some composition of Al Franken, Chris Rock, Tina Fey and Sarah Palin would make an excellent ticket in 2016. Arkansas is called for McCain. Surprise surprise.

01:38GMT: The vote counter reads 49-103 in favor of Obama. Wisconsin, Colorado, New Mexico and Michigan are scheduled to close in just over 20mins.

01:41GMT: The Palin family is reuniting at an airport somewhere, I think in Phoenix. Many a wet shoulder there will be.

01:42GMT: The Palin motorcade sweeps out onto the streets. Those gas-guzzling SUVS will be one of her only comforts right now. Some secret service agents have an open window in their car. Obviously she isn't in there.

01:47GMT: The Rvd. Jesse Jackson himself. If I wasn't wrapped up in my duvet I would bow in the presence of greatness.

01:52GMT: Just 8mins now until the next round of results. Add New York, Rhode Island, Texas and Wyoming to the next round of closing polls.

01:55GMT: Fox News has called Pennsylvania for the Dems. Its set in stone now.

02:01GMT: GOP stands for the "Grand Old Party." Semblances of the Ivory Tower of Academia anyone?

02:02GMT: Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York go BLUE!!!!

02:04GMT: Kansas, Wyoming and North Dakota called for the GOP. Rhode Island for Obama. Meanwhile, Fox give Ohio to the Democrats amidst scenes of wild celebration on Times Square.

02:08GMT: Georgia squeaks in for McCain. 175-76 reads the tally in favor of Barack Obama.

02:11GMT: Grant Park, Chicago looks insane right now. What I would do to be there...

02:12GMT: Fox calls New Mexico for Obama. What is going on? Do the Bushes want him to win?

02:13GMT: Florida has 48% of precincts in and Obama is up, 52% to 48%. Meanwhile, 51% are in in Virgina and McCain leads by a very slim margin, 50% to 48%.

02:17GMT: Sen. Elizabeth Dole has been making a mockery of herself in North Carolina. Surely that goes for Obama now. BBC calls Wisconsin for the Illinois Senator.

02:23GMT: The Associated Press is saying that the Senate will remain under control of the Democrats. In the worlds of Quagmire, "Allllllllriiiiiiggggggggggghttt!!!!." And wow, a fight is breaking out on the BBC. Some American historian is calling the correspondent in Phoenix "ignorant" for suggesting that Palin shunned undecided voters from the Republicans.

02:30GMT: At long last, the BBC calls Ohio for the Democrats. There is very little scope for a McCain comeback now.

02:34GMT: Louisiana goes to McCain. Big surprise. Still, Obama is closer to the presidency than his rival thanks to a 195-90 lead.

02:37GMT: More networks are calling New Mexico and its 9 votes for Obama. The state has voted for the President all bar two times since before the Second World War. Interestingly, New Mexico has the largest Latino population percentage in the country, a slap in the face to my premonition that state was a redneck haven. My bad.

02:41GMT: The BBC adds New Mexico to its tally, putting the score at 200-124 after the Lone Star State went down a very familiar line. Even after that 34 vote haul, I have difficulty seeing how McCain can win given that the West Coast is still to come.

02:46GMT: Wow. Not that this has anything to do with the election but the New York Islanders, last in the NHL, beat down on the New York Rangers, 2-1.

02:50GMT: I have just received word from my "inside sources" - that's you Lorraine - that the California polls close in 1hr10mins. So yeah, I'll be jumping for joy in a little over an hour. Meanwhile, 60% of precincts in Florida are now in with Obama still leading the way at 51% to 48%.

02:53GMT: Iowa, Montana, Nevada and Utah are set to close in just over 5mins.

02:57GMT: CNN has Obama up 8000 in Virgina. Surely not...

02:59: BBC confirms things in Virgina, things tied at 50% each. Elizabeth Dole has officially lost in North Carolina, where Obama is up 51% against McCain's 49%. Mississippi goes to the GOP, bringing the tally to 200-130. Polls close in the four aforementioned states in one minute.

03:02: Obama wins what must be one of his favorite states, Iowa and its 7 votes. Yet another swing state goes to the man from Honolulu. Unsurprisingly, McCain takes Republican bastion Utah and its 5 votes. Interestingly, Utah has voted for the Democrats just once, in 1964.

03:06: The puck's about to drop at GM Place in Vancouver. CBC must be hating themselves as TSN picked up their Hockey Night in Canada themetune.

03:09: Obama sits up at 207 to 135 with results from Nevada and Montana expected shortly.

03:15: Just minutes into the Canucks game, defenceman Kevin Bieksa hits the deck injured. In the corresponding last season, Bieksa suffered a lacerated calf muscle at the mercy of Vern Fiddler, causing him to play just 34 games.

03:17: Back in the lower 48, McCain is up 50% to Obama's 49% with 85% of precincts reporting. Meanwhile Florida is still going Obama's way with 65% of precincts reporting.

03:21: What. a. comeback. Obama is now up in Virgina, 50% to 49%.

03:26: Gosh, this is hard. Blogging, watching hockey and watching the election. It isn't as though I've missed too much. The tally still stands at 207-135 and the score between Nashville and Vancouver is 0-0.

03:29: Yeaaahhh!!! Powerplay Vancouver. Suck that J.P Dumont.

03:31: John McCain and the Straight Talk Express have arrived in Phoenix. Tee Hee.

03:33: Wow. The LA Times and CNN both have Obama up by several percent in Utah whilst Nebraska has gone the other way.

03:39: Back in Vancouver, Alex Edler clears the puck out as the boys kill of an Alex Burrows roughing penalty.

03:41: Five states are about to close. According to the BBC, "Barack Obama is within sight of the Presidency."

03:42: The District of Columbia is projected for Obama whilst South Dakota goes to McCain. Nancy Pelosi has tears of joy streaming down her cheeks as the Democrats retain control of the Senate.

03:48: Delaware goes to Obama-Biden but BBC have not updated their tally which thus rests at 141-207 in favor of the Democrats.

03:56: My rumbling belly has been silenced thanks to milk and marzipan. Just 4 minutes remain until the polls close in California, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Hallelujah!!!

04:02: The Los Angeles Times has called Virginia for Obama, California and Washington by the BBC. Obama wins, 273-241. Tears are streaming fown my cheeks. Uh oh. BBC just referred to him as a "negroe." Anyhow, WOOOOOOHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

04:12: All else is irrelevant. Once more, I can be proud of being American. Neither the grin spread across my face or the tears dripping down my cheeks will subside.

04:15: Similarly, elation is spreading across Barack Obama Sr's hometown in Kenya. The world is on cloud nine, exactly what we need right now.

04:17: Colorado and its nine votes also go to Obama. At times like these, who cares about hockey? Well maybe everyone's favorite lipsticked pig, Sarah Palin. Good riddance.

04:21: Full credit to John McCain. A very dignified concession of defeat. Whilst his speech seems forced and seems memorized, props to McCain for such an eloquent exit, also paying tribute to Barack Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham and urging his supporters to throw their weight behind the President Elect. Meanwhile, Florida goes Obama's way, so the tally now stands 333-145.

04:27: Wow, the crowd sure loved it when McCain paid tribute to Palin. Nonetheless, a very dignified and respectful speech from this veteran warhorse. Commiserations, Senator McCain. It would've taken a God to beat Barack Obama. And hey, he mentioned Joe Biden. Not something that happens every day.

04:34: BBC has footage outside the White House where people are...jumping around. Follow McCain's example, guys.

04:37: We've got about 30 minutes until Obama hits the stage in Grant Park. Back with the BBC in Virginia, the coffee shop crowd is chanting "YES WE CAN." I'd join in to if I wouldn't wake up everyone.

04:41: When the BBC reporter in Virginia asked the Moody family, "is this a new dawn?, " they responded, "Absolutely! This is a new dawn!" Amen.

04:48: The BBC's graphic reporter, Jeremy something, has just brought down a curtain of ticker tape. Tacky as hell but I don't care.

04:50: Gore Vidal is being interviewed and he doesn't seem too happy. Petulance and requests to be allowed to speak from the 83 year old have the studio falling over themselves in mirth. Meanwhile, one analyst in the studio earnestly professes that "if you'd told anyone that Obama would win North Carolina...no one would have believed you." There's one right here.

04:59: Obama has arrived on stage in Grant Park! This time I really will bow in the presence of greatness.

05:03: I'm just beyond words so I'll leave you with this. Yes, We did!!!

A Plea

2008-11-03T22:35:00.001Z

November 4th: You can make it YES WE DID!

Of Melting Pots

2008-10-19T21:28:00.002Z

The enigmatic issue of what makes someone American has been raging on in that crazy old place I like to call to a head. The stem of such confusions comes from America's greatest asset, its diversity: racial diversity that is probably unsurpassed and economic diversity that follows that same trend. Most important of all is the huge differences between the stereotypes of the states. In very few other countries could there be such a scattering of mindsets and affiliations. The open-arms attitude of, say, San Francisco to the blatant intolerance that my arch-nemesis Jeremy Clarkson revealed in Alabama.
Whilst such demographics will likely be at odds with one another, that is part of what makes America so unique, so remarkable. That such different people can all fit under the same umbrella is simply amazing. To think that a little over 100 years ago, the survival of the union was in jeopardy just adds to the achievement of the country. Largely, this a consequence of a government that has checks and balances stuffed into every perceivable corner. Most people are kept satisfied because their view is accounted for. Those that aren't have suitable avenues to pursue their grievances but most of all, the government has legitimacy. It has never been fallen victim of a coup. It subsists thanks to a constitution designed for the people, by the people. Most importantly though, American civilization has survived thanks largely to internal pacifism. True, the Native Americans and Mexicans suffered at the hand of overzealous American expansion but in the case of the Native Americans, this was largely due to their inability to bond together and fight back. On the other hand, the settlers united in a common cause, so called Manifest Destiny and unquestionably achieved their aims.
Therefore, it is more than a little perturbing that the Bush Administration and thus 150 million people didn't mind tearing apart two countries, if not the world over the need to institute a democratic political system. Surely by now the government might actually understand that stability must always take a front seat to political change. It simply does not work to set up a democratic government by means of force. The notion that such a theory might work is in itself a paradox. Democracy, rule by the people just can't be put into place without a democratic process. It has to be an evolution, or if not that then popularly welcomed revolution. That a naive teenager can recognize this whilst the cabinet of the world's mos powerful nation cannot beautifully illustrates how America has got itself and thus the world into such a hole.
This brings me onto my next point. Brains are obviously required to govern any country, few more so than the USA. Once again, I am baffled that about 140 million of my compatriots see fit to elect John McCain and Sarah Palin to the White House. How the presence of a notorious womanizer and a local, corrupt former beauty queen in the Oval Office would benefit our ailing reputation is beyond me. Let common sense prevail. See that Barack Obama and Joe Biden take the reigns.

The Odds-Defying Continues

2008-10-12T21:46:00.003Z

The Vancouver Canucks lead the way Western Conference in goal scoring, something that hasn't been meant to happen since the ugly demise of the West Coast Express. That's right, the Canucks have spread around 11 goals in just two games since that wonderful night last Thursday when the Flames were hit for six. Just two days later and once more the Canucks emerged the victors, coming back from 3-1 down for Pavol Demitra to scoop in Alex Burrows's rebound. More to the point, Demitra showed more emotion after that one goal that Naslund did through most of his career. That emotion was present throughout the team and that made it very difficult for the Flames to keep up. Outhustled, outskated - outplayed, the Flames are the wrong end of a 12 goal differential after one preseason game and two regular season contests against Vancouver.
Whether the boys will manage to sustain the offensive onslaught remains to be seen but the early signs are good: already, the Canucks have five multi-point players with more set to join the list after Monday's showdown with Alex Ovechkin's Capitals. Of course, all depends on the play of perennial All-Star Roberto Luongo but when the team is averaged 5.5 goals per game, thinks are a lot easier. Indeed, many commentators stated that last year's stagnant forward group would have made the playoffs had it not been for the bullet-ridden rearguard. Once more though, the injury bug is always lurking around the corner. Kevin Bieksa, returning from a badly lacerated calf, went down awkardly in the second half of the long weekends home-and-home and flew back to Vancouver to have an MRI on his knee. The team will be fine for the time being - so deep is the defense that Nolan Baumgartner, who had 34 points in the bigs just 2 years ago is currently off by the wayside with the Manitoba Moose. That said, if injuries once more become habitual, it will be a long season marked only by the potential arrival of John Tavares or Victor Hedman.
All the while, the Canucks must continue to play fundamentally sound hockey. Goal scoring is all good and fine but grit and defense must be equal components of the team's mindset if success is going to continue throughout the season.
NB: It appears my advice went unheard: The Canucks went down 5-1 to the Caps last night having only registered 10 shots. Gee, that's awful: more goals in their first two games then shots in their third.

Defying All Odds

2008-10-08T13:10:00.002Z

The puck drops tomorrow at the Pengrowth Saddeldome in Calgary when the Vancouver Canucks open the season on the road to the hometown Flames. Even prior to the offseason, doubts surrounded the teams chances in 2008-9. No one was quite sure how the team would fare if impending free agents and stalwarts, Trevor Linden, Brendan Morrison and Markus Naslund did not resign. When all three walked, the team entered the Victor Hedman/John Tavares sweepstakes in the eyes of many popular media outlets. ESPN, TSN and many others all claimed that Canucks would miss the playoffs by a mile. ESPN also figured No.8 defenseman Lawrence Nycholat to be good for 70 points and +37, so obviously this should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Nonetheless, hardly anyone outside the Canucks faithful gave the team a chance, chastising rookie GM Mike Gillis for being seduced by the ongoing availiability of Hall of Fame lock, Mats Sundin. Three months had passed and the 6ft 5 Swede hadn't signed in Vancouver. How on earth were the Canucks headed for the playoffs?
Then the exhibition season happened. The intricacies aren't important but basically the boys in blue and green set a searing 6-1 pace over teams such as San Jose, Calgary, Edmonton and Anaheim - all seen as playoff teams. Despite no superstar forward signing, the Canucks recorded 25 goals, almost 4 goals per game. That would put them comfortably in the upper third of the league, not bad for a team with "no scoring prowess." All this and they did it with a slapdash lineup against teams who largely used their opening night rosters.
How are they doing it?
Well, the new triplet, Steve Bernier is fitting in well with the Sedins, Mason Raymond and Pavol Demitra are made together. Jannick Hansen was seperated at birth from Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler. Oh yeah, and the presence of a fourth line that makes no bones about dropping the gloves offers a refreshing change.
The defensive core looks as solid as ever. No one player has stuck out - all have been exemplary. The same can be said for Roberto Luongo, who has recovered spectacularly after an awful playoff run last year when his mind was so clearly distant from the rink. Curtis Sanford also enjoyed an unbeaten preseason. However, the capping point is that, unlike last season when Brendan Morrison and Sami Salo - among others- started the season injured in the press box, only depth defenceman Lawrence Nycholat is suffering from any form of malady.
This year's Vancouver Canucks are yin to last year's yang and in the opinions of many, that is a wonderful thing.

Closure

2008-10-07T22:03:00.002Z

The Clinton Clan really should found their own political party. For the two-time President and his wife to refrain from putting their full support behind their party's nominee, Barack Obama, is absolutely disgusting. Putting family before country has no place in the United States, at least when the stability of the nation is concerned. For Hillary to then brazenly commend Sarah Palin for her efforts adds fuel to a fire that no one would want to stoke with barely 3 weeks remaining to the election.
Just what the Clintons' aims in this heinous tactic is remains to be seen. Obviously Hillary was feeling the flames when she, the presumptive nominee before the Primaries actually got going, succumbed to the intelligence and charisma of one Barack Obama, who now sits 5 points up on John McCain. Still, its not like Clinton's demise was Obama's fault. He had the moral fibre to refrain from liberal assaults on Hillary's questionable honesty. She just could not keep up with his slick, legitimate campaign for the Democratic nomination. With regards to fundraising, Obama may as well have written the record book, hauling in around $60 million a month. Hillary on the other hand struggled to avoid sinking into the red. For her to seek closure by throwing veiled support Palin's way is simply ridiculous. Whatever respect the family holds right now will be lost should this trend of jealous retribution continue.
Ironically, John McCain has borrowed Hillary's campaign problems. He too is struggling to keep up with the Obama machine and has thus turned the attack dogs out on the Illinois Senator. Once more, the public isn't responding well. Once more, the public will vote against you.

A Gleaming Facade

2008-10-03T21:55:00.002Z

Sarah Palin has not had much going for her this last fortnight. For that, we are all forever indebted to Katie Couric. Somehow, the Alaskan Angie emerged from last night's debate relatively unscathed. As usual, we are all baffled as to just how that is. She is the most corrupt, most neocon person, let alone woman to have a legitimate shot at the White House in a long time. Her policies make those of George W. Bush look sensible. Lost in a sea of radical creationism and economic wishwash is a compass that, inexplicably, gets the Alaska Governor out of more bonds than 007. Even Washington's most knowledgeable commentators have stumbled when trying to explain just how a woman who in many cases has no policy, no facts, commands so much respect from the American people.
Its easy to understand how the analysts missed the answer: it was staring them in the face. Simply put, Sarah Palin is at the level of the average Midwestern voter. Facts don't matter because she can relate to them. That is an unfortunate reflection on that huge chosm of our society. Resentment to the articulate politicos of Capitol Hill has festered to such a level that someone like Palin can come in and rack up ridiculous popularity basically for the simple reason that she is one of them. It doesn't matter that she doesn't know squat, that she's corrupt and backward. The only relevant issue is that she does not fit the traditional mold of the alleged Washington bureaucrats and among the down-at-hand, that is a good thing.
Such an image makes it hard to forget that what Palin proposes is essentially a more partisan form of Bush's reign of terrifying stupidity. Read: American popularity, economy to think further. Her response in the debate with Joe Biden to the economic difficulties was that "we must stop being pushed around by the banks," or words to that effect. Words that mean basically nothing in political terms.
Most of the world realises this. Now all we need is for American down-at-hand to give up the illusion. We need change and that is something that only Barack Obama can deliver.

Think Ahead Time

2008-09-30T21:11:00.002Z

Even before Freddie Mae and Fannie Mac began their torrid slide down the economic plughole way back in July, the world's financial situation was not looking good. Markets were sliding, slowly, point by point to oblivion. According to the press at least. Almost a quarter has elapsed since the mid-summer crisis and yet still we are perpetually stricken with panic, despite small personal losses. Here's why: it sells newspapers.
Unfortunately, Murdoch & co.'s impact on our predicament is, perhaps, the driving factor in its continuity. That isn't to put the blame solely on the shoulders of our business editors, but if the media industry wasn't thriving off our economic downfall then perhaps less alarm would have spread through global markets, perhaps the latest in a long series of Wall Street flops would not have such dire consequences.
For once, I agree with our President, George W. Bush. Dire straits call for drastic actions and if that means halting economic reportage for the meantime, so be it. Of course, actual monetary reimbursement at some level of society is more pressing but with power comes responsibility, something great swaths of the media too often forget.
Whilst a social collapse akin to the Great Depression has all but been prevented thanks to insurance of savings at up to $100,000, the world would not have been as badly affected had the press exercised a little care. Sure, the people have a right to know but was the knowledge really beneficial?
Our leaders have learned that hyper-inflation is most certainly not the way to go but nonetheless, frivolities will have to be cut down on and societies unified. So what message does it show us when Bush, desperately trying to push the $700 bail-out through Congree, is vetoed by his own party? Only 40% of Republicans backed the plan, compared to 60% of the Pelosi-led Democrats. Hopefully the voters read this, because it really would make very little sense to elect into office a ticket that doesn't mind the people being financially crippled. Once more, Vote Obama. So far, we've figured out that it will do the world a world of good. How about some goodness for ourselves too?

Referendums and Me

2008-09-28T19:34:00.002Z

Just a little politics homework you might find interesting

The United Kingdom claims to be a Liberal Democracy. Criticism of that statement has come from a great array of people, home and abroad. The esteemed French philosopher Voltaire once said that “Britai

n is free for one day every four years.” At the time, the franchise barely expanding beyond the aristocratic elite, bringing further truth to Voltaire’s

words but after at least 250 years of all sorts of electoral reform, the legitimacy of the British democracy is still in question.

To counter such claims, Edward Heath’s Conservative government se

t a trend and issued a referendum on Northern Ireland in 1973. For a party that traditionally – since the time of the Whigs – has been the most out of touch with voters, this represented a trend to em

phasise the democracy. However, there are serious issues surrounding its usage, at least in the UK. Rare

ly are they issued to the whole country and rarely is the issue particularly important for the whole population. For instance, no referendum was issued on either significant military action since 2000 or on the potential institution of the Eur

o. In the UK it seems that referendums are primarily used to give false legitimacy to governments which have become isolated from the electorate. T

hat’s not to say that devolution should be taken lightly but there are many more pressing issues. Voltaire was right; people here are only

free once every four years.

Thankfully however, as a Dutch Californian, at least half of me come from a very democratic background. Whilst in Holland there is no legislation that allows for binding referenda, my motherland is one of the most democratic areas on the planet.

It’s not as though California is some small New England town or Swiss canton, this is the 7^th largest economy in the world, ahead of Russia and India. In short, this is no small-scale project, no shrinking violet. As Charles Kesler of the Claremont Institute said, “No other state uses the popular initiative and referendum as aggressively as this one.”

Indeed, in 2008 alone, 22 referenda were issued. Not state, federal or nation can claim to come close to Hellenistic direct democracy but California comes close. Popular opinion remains decided over whether this is a good thing.

In my view, empowerment of the public opinion can never be a bad thing. Direct democracy on such a large scale ensures that politicians don’t get a chance to sway the vote, so the negatives are hard to pick out. We complain that the UK suffers from an elected dictatorship and with a potential resurgence in Tory control those fears will only be amplified.

Not in California, home to 36 million people, 26 million of which can participate whole-heartedly in the running of their state if they so choose.

A Brave New World

2008-09-26T22:06:00.005Z

Mike Gillis is either very smart or very optimistic. Faced with $10 million of unfilled cap space, the freshly minted Vancouver Canucks GM declared via his players that a youth movement was taking place. Francesco Aquilini withheld those $10 million for the sheer, simple reason that the resulting roster space would allow some young shot to fill the boots purportedly intended for Mats Sundin. There's just one problem. No one knows if the youngsters can cut it.
Admittedly, the primary players we're talking about here - Michael Grabner, Cody Hodgson, Dan Gendur and Jannick Hansen have all become known for their offensive prowess but they have a combined 15 games of NHL experience between them. In actuality, Hansen, a former 9th round pick, accounts for all 15 of those games. Whilst unseasoned rookies have made huge impacts in a variety of sports - LeBron James, Sidney Crosby for example, the odds of our crop making aren't particularly high. Ridiculously, this is not for lack of talent, this is simply because Alain Vigneault - whose job was mercifully rescued by Gillis - does not have it in him to hand over the necessary minutes for a selection of the aforementioned players to make an impact. Instead, look for a mishmash of the perpetual grinders Rick Rypien, Mike Brown and PC Labrie on opening night. Viggy may have uttered the old, "if you're good enough, you're old enough" quote but all the same, he is synonymous with dull, defensive hockey the same that John McCain is synomous with dull, defensive politics.
However, this is a 2-dimensional realm of possibility. If it wasn't for the generosity of Gillis, Vigneault wouldn't have a job. At the same time, the new GM has said on several occasions that he will bring up-tempo, offensive hockey back to Vancouver. Gillis doesn't seem to the kind of guy that likes to joke around so perhaps, god willing, Vigneault will succumb to the pressure and take a leaf from Craig McTavish's book and give his talented rookies a chance. The media has been hinting at it for days and pre-season lines have reflected it, so here's to hoping.

This is what I'm talking about:

Sedin-Sedin-Bernier
Demitra-Kesler-Pyatt
Hansen-Hodgson-Grabner/Raymond
Burrows-Johnson-Hordichuk

Ohlund-Edler
Bieksa-Mitchell
Krajicek-Salo
Davison

Luongo
Sanford

Finally

2008-09-21T17:24:00.003Z

In the realm of Politics, self-doubt is a killer. Thus, in the high-stakes battleground that is the Presidential Election, self-doubt is a cyanide pill. Whilst the chameleonic John McCain seems to have one firmly lodged between his molars, Barack Obama has laid deaf ears to overtures that he, for one reason or another, will fail to clinch the Presidency.
Ever since the pre-dawn of Obama's race for the Democratic Nomination, he has been told that he will fail due to his race, his inexperience or his unwillingness to play hardball with armour-plated opponents. In that same duration of time, Obama has avoided tempering his domestic policies and mindset, rarely dignifying Clinton's, McCain's or Palin's attacks with so much as a response. Instead, Barack Obama decided that the High Road is the one to take for 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
I must say, it is an honour for the future President to have taken a leaf from my book*, for I am one of the only people I know to stand in unflinching support for the man from Honolulu. I have questioned him when he toppled over at the gold-embossed toe-caps of the Jewish Lobby but other than that, Obama all the way.
Howard Dean had similar potential but the Dean Scream put paid to that. If perhaps he had kept his wits about him, things would have been different. Unfortunately, he had scalding hot coffee running through his veins. This made for an excellent crowd-pumper but it also helped him quite literally blow his lid.
Thank heavens that this time, my choice for the Presidency has ice water running through his veins. This has not one but two immediate consequences. A), we'll *knock on wood* have a President who doesn't flinch in the face of criticism, and B) He'll also help reduce global warming. It just doesn't make sense, on the other hand, that a McCain-Palin ticket that is so mish-mashy, so changeable that it makes the English weather look predictable. How such a pairing can be electable beats me. Don't give them that dignity. Vote Obama

Wanted: Brains

2008-09-15T13:06:00.003Z

Several weeks ago, in the aftermath of John McCain revealing Sarah Palin as his running-mate, the press, American and international harangued the Arizona Senator for electing a fresh-faced politician with almost no experience concerning many of the forthcoming election's issues. The polls were swinging back to the left after a halfbaked Democratic Convention. It seemed as though the next few months would be a ridiculously long victory parade.
Imagine then, after it was announced that Palin's teenage daughter Bristol was several months pregnant, the Democratic camp's reaction. Euphoria, surely. Unfortunately, Obama & co didn't make enough of Palin's parental negligencies and archaic views but instead let the McCain camp dictate what these past weeks have been about.
Palin and McCain have these past few weeks congragulated Bristol for her courage in not seeking an abortion behind Mommy's redneck and back and have lauded praise on Sarah herself for giving birth to her youngest son Trig, who has Down syndrome. Essentially, the Republicans have managed to avoid all the key issues of the election to such an extent that foreign policy discussions were virtually unheard of at the convention. There is one, and only one reason for this. Obama let them. Thanks to Obama's quiet inaction, he's now head to head with a girl from a frosty little Alaskan town nobody had heard of before September. That's how distracted the election has become. Its no longer between the two presidents. Thank goodness the debate season is still to come, when Palin's nails-on-chalkboard voice and questionable policies will be revealed, and likely countered by the smooth talking, intelligent and experienced team of Obama and Biden.
McCain has found his babe, just not the brains.

Week One Done

2008-09-14T21:56:00.003Z

Bang. That was the main though crashing through me on Monday, my first visit to a classroom in almost 3 months. Granted, a new chapter had started with my arrival (at last) at Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge. Hills, as it is colloquially known, topped the national tables with its stunning A-level results. Fair reasoning has it then that carrying the ID card is more than carrying just a piece of plastic. It implies a responsibility to be all that you can be, and in the case of most of the student body, the quantity is quite something to behold, and I'm not just talking about following in the footsteps of Syd Barrett.
Hills Road graduates delve not only in to the musical big-time. Hills Road students also attain the highest Oxbridge admission rates of any school in the country, and thus the world so there is quite some pressure to succeed. This has brought the college the unfortunate reputation of being an exam factory but as of yet (I know, it's early) I haven't seen signs of that. Admittedly, some teachers have been rather exuberant in dishing out homework - Mme. Rigoni and Mr Binfield in particular, but all the same, this isn't the comfortable safety of Village College, this really is the academic big-time.
So, Hills has very musical alumni and a fluorescent-bright student body. What else? Well, the college also boasts some of the nation's best Athletics and Tennis teams, which for sporting wannabes like myself, that reputation doesn't exactly bode well for our chances of getting on said teams. Still, with top-of-the-line reputation comes top-of-the-line facilities. The college has some of the best tennis facilities in East Anglia and an NYO-laden orchestra. Of course, the teaching staff is the main thing and they too do not disappoint. So far I have noticed friendly professionalism, none of the irritability or questionable teaching skills that were rather common back in the village. No sir.
It seems almost alien to be in a French class where I do not have to rub Wasabi in my eyes just to stay awake. Whilst I didn't have such problems in History or English last year, I am pleased to report that there has been no drop-off in the standard of teaching. Most of all, my Politics class, which I had doubts over coming in to the year, has surged to the top of my list. Finding a fault is something I have not achieved yet. Even the notoriously active student body has lived up to its billing.
I'm more tired than I've been in months, even years, but boy am I loving it.

A Rude Dethroning

2008-09-04T21:20:00.002Z

Several weeks ago, King Fed, better known as Roger Federer, lost his No.1 Ranking spot that had been slipping further and further from his ivory grasp since the Hamburg Masters, where he narrowly beat his successor, Rafael Nadal. The slippery slope got ever more lubricated when Federer succumbed to the Spaniard at Roland Garros and Wimbledon and by Aug. 18, the Swiss had officially slipped to No. 2.
During his incredible 4.5 year reign at the top of the standings, Federer has been the beneficiary of ridiculously lenient treatment from fans and umpires alike. Whereas the likes of Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt and Marat Safin (all former No. 1s) have endured alarming anger from the audience and harsh decisions from the umpire, everyone just laps it up when Roger lets slip a cuss or a racket.
Obviously Federer has earned this leniency but to suggest that the aforementioned trio haven't is ludicrous. In professional sports, all players should be subject to the same regulations. Particularly for a guy like Roddick, who no doubt has the weapons to go far in most tournaments, who doesn't have the mental frailty of Safin, it must be painful to succumb to the world No. 1 despite playing fantastic tennis: see US Open 2007, all the while being picked apart by the media for not being an eloquent gentleman.
Still, any man who has the ability to play God (of the tennis world) for almost 5 years must possess a remarkable talent and indeed Federer does. Whilst competitors such as Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic seem to possess more power than Federbear, the latter's effortless, nostalgic style has brought him countless titles with very little injury along the way. By comparison, Nadal's knees are heavily strapped, the result of bounding around the court like no tomorrow. Similarly, Novak Djokovic has 16 or so body complaints following his arduous head-to-head with Tommy Robredo. Federer has reached the final of two grand slams this year despite a battle with mononucleosis earlier in the season. Such durable talent is a rarity.
Somewhat unfortunately, Roger is under no illusion as to the magnitude of his talent. Even when he succumbs to players as talented as Andy Murray or Mardy Fish, there is no reason in Federer's mind other than "I played bad." Stealing the glory of defeating the world's highest ranked player is not eloquent. Oddly enough, when Federer triumphs, he always lauds his opponent with praise. Thankfully for Fed, that is the usual outcome so he has become known as one of the most gracious winners in all of sports. I wonder what public opinion would have been had Federer's talent not been quite so pristine.

A Windy Obsession

2008-08-28T21:43:00.002Z

Sorry folks, but once more, bad news is in the making. We appear to be on the verge of another in this current string of ridiculously long-winded posts. That reminds me, wind will be a common theme as well. See, last Saturday after enduring an arduous ten-hour drive from Trieste, Italy to Brodarica, Croatia we made the short ferry trip to the quaint island of Krapanj, where we would embark upon a week-long flotilla around the islands and inlets of the Dalmatian coast, mostly between Sibenik and Zadar, both of which were targeted by Serb forces during the 1991-1995 conflict with Croatia.
Half an hour after arriving in Brodarica, we finally made it to the tranquil pontoon to which our home for the week, Sea Monkey, was docked. As is the norm, establishing diplomatic relations with our neighbours didn’t happen instantaneously. That said, we established a lively conversation with the waiter at Hotel Spongolia. The food was similarly lively, metaphorically not physically.
The metaphor wore off the following day. Aside from our skipper, Matija and hostess, Zana, the lead crew seemed worrying lackadaisical, passing over the technical briefing with all the depth of a conversation with John McCain. Further inciting fear, our personal skipper for the day, Rinko seemed to share the careless attitude of our mechanic. Whilst clearly a competent sailor, he was too intent on proving this, loath betide if he let one of us touch the wheel. Admittedly these were 25 knot winds we were dealing with, but he reacted with shock and awe when offered sandwiches and biscuits and proclaimed, “We do not do that in Croatia” when a cup of tea was bestowed upon him. Indeed, he only succumbed to conversation upon discovering that we are relations of “favourite NBA player,” Steve Kerr, better known as fellow white token to the Croatian Sensation himself, Toni Kukoc.
As Rinko basked in the realization that he was kinda, sorta in the presence of greatness, we narrowly avoided an ugly collision with an overworked water bomber before working our way up the river Krka to Skradin, a few kilometres downstream of the aptly named Krka falls. Poor Rinko was obviously desperate to flee the Sea Monkey, so after some vague manoeuvres that apparently constituted mooring practice, he jumped ship before that gangplank was even in place, leaving us to explore Skradin with the rest of humanity. Over the next few hours, the rest of our flotilla would arrive, leaving us to bathe in the murky waters of the marina. A strange day it was, we were left with no clue what to expect the next day. I woke fitfully just before 7am the next morning, panic-stricken and eager to depart for the Krka Falls. Alas, the pillow in my mildewy berth seized the moment and it would be another 2 hours before I would wake up to a sumptuous breakfast of very plain drinking yoghurt and cries of, “get ready, Johan, we’re gonna be late!” A quick sprint to an Italian-dominated toilet block and I was ready to go. The ferry to the falls wasn’t, but we did eventually reach our destination at around 10.30. There was something oddly Chinese about the whole thing; mass tourism off the beaten track, essentially. Still, the scenery was amazing and I felt nothing but unadulterated agony when I looked down and saw cargo shorts, not a bathing suit, hugging my thighs. Unfortunately they would miss the opportunity to plunge into the refreshing waters of the falls.
Soon enough, another Chinese feeling, of shallow awesomeness began to cloud our minds so we decided to make for the ferry back to the all-too-bright lights of Skradin and escape to tranquillity at Zirje, a large island 10 miles southwest of Sibenik. Winds were gusting up to 17 knots well inland so a sense of apprehension filled the bowels of the Sea Monkey but fortunately the wind died down in the Sibenski Kanal, making for a tame passage towards our mooring point at Stupica, an area of Zirje known to be infested with mines. So tranquil were the winds that we had to motor almost 5 miles of the sea passage although we were thankful for the calm seas when we had to venture out once more from Stupica to empty a precariously full holding tank. Cries of horror rang out as I turned the release valve. Worried, I hurried up to the transom and saw a putrid yellow smudge in our wake. Surprisingly, naivety was in good flow half an hour later as we dove into the water barely a mile from that traumatic sight
Later that night was the hallowed punch party. A non-violent affair, I discovered that Croatian regard for drinking regulations is as nonchalant as that of its Western European counterparts, serving up hefty cups of punch to us 16 year olds. Fresh fish with an applesauce-like potato dish brimmed on the table but the meal culminated in a fish eye eating contest, not something that bares going into too much detail about. Through a mist of alcohol and darkness, we somehow managed to seek out the Sea Monkey. Miracles were all around as we even managed to board the boat in what traffic police would most definitely define as an intoxicated state.
Fearing the aforementioned winds would pick up towards midday, we scampered out of Stupica, still oblivious to the mines lying in the hills above us. The wind-induced terror was so intense that we even set out in convoy with another boat, Musling II, the pronunciation of which was in question all week long. This proved to be a loose relationship for intentionally or not, a half mile separation boundary was maintained although the VHF crackled along throughout the voyage.
The winds never did pick up but instead a pleasant 15 knot wind blowing up the Kornati-kanal helped us make good time past the fishing boats further up Zirje and into the aforementioned waterway. The Kornati islands were true to guidebook form, offering a paradoxical stark beauty. Several times, I found myself thinking that it seemed too weird to be natural, some waterside tourist attraction. Hopefully some photos will be in order to illustrate my belligerent attempt at description, but anyhow all was fantastic until we reached the tricky open sea passage to the north of Lavsa Island, through which we would have to venture to reach Piskera marina, wedged between two of the 400 Kornati islands.
15 knots on the open sea proved to be a much greater force than the same windspeed in sheltered waters. Tossed around like a rubber duck, I counted my blessings between swells. I must have been counting them too quickly for as we trundled towards the marina past Musling “Muesli” II, 5 German speedboats emerged from as if out of nowhere and swept past us into an already crowded mishmash of wood and metal. God had mercy on us and with our faithful lead skipper, Matija, delivered the news that Pontoon 5 had been reserved for the hardy seafolk of the Sunsail Kornati Flotilla. And a few French motorboat babes. The more the merrier, non?
Shock, awe, Zana and more welcome news greeted us on the pontoon. Despite our lethargic pace along the outside of Zirje, we had “beaten” our “competitors” into Piskera, although by this time, Muesli was close on our tails. I’ll leave it up to you to intuit exactly what this meant. Anyhow, the heady heights of kayaking and snorkelling cast our minds from such silly thoughts as competition. The aquatic life wasn’t as interesting as the previous night but the warm, diesel-laced waters made up for it. The news that more fresh fish awaited us at dinner went down just as well, but the 1015 Kuna price tag wasn’t quite as well received. It was a good meal, but £100 pounds for a fish dinner would seem extortionist even at Loch Fyne.
By this point, the entire flotilla had made it past the harrowing Lavsa channel, meaning that the marina was near capacity. Sitting just over the hill on the exposed side of Piskera Island, I would have no idea that several hundred yachts and motorboats, along with their inhabitants lay just a few meters behind me. Indeed, it all seemed a world away as I gazed towards the shimmering light of a distant Italian lighthouse, discussing just that notion.
That brief, naïve foray into philosophy came to an abrupt end, dazzled by the bright lights of the marina but soon enough the brainpicking was back in full flow, this time trying to grasp some deeper, firsthand knowledge of the Balkan conflict. Bear in mind, this was onboard our very Croat lead boat, Pinta. Essentially all we nuanced out of it is that nothing too major happened in Zagreb. However, as Coldplay professes, all was not lost. We discovered Roman Coke, a lethal mix of some sort of spirit and…cola. It was under this uninhibitance that we discovered that Matija hates pasta, but “bearded guy” preferates it. Yes, he also preferates rice. Want more juicy tidbits? We also gleaned the fact that he works for a company that installs highway railings. Still, the night was about Roman Coke. Well, pancakes too, but that’s another story. Moreover, 25 knot winds apparently beckoned once more, so a healthy dose of sleep was in order.
A strange thing happened that night. Once more, the forecast winds decided not to pop by, perhaps fearing the reaction of a few hundred crewmates the next day. Instead, a mere 10 knots blew northwest, making sailing back down the Kornati Kanal, making sailing nigh impossible. On the plus side, I skippered the boat for the 8.5 passage back towards Zirje. Hoping that higher winds would fill our sails to the south of the canal, we pulled up the sails. This proved relatively futile for our speed never made it past 3 knots and was rarely close to that. Combining the low winds with modest swells coming in off the Adriatic made for uncomfortable conditions. Even though the wind eventually died off to the extent that 5 knots was a gust, taking the sails down as we lumbered towards Krapije, our destination for the night, proved a difficult task.
Any sail-related hindrance was absolutely worth it once we made it into Krapije harbour, where once again Sea Monkey and Musling II made a one-two finish. No marina to speak of, just secluded anchorages overlooked by rocky hills and a gentler sunset. As you can guess, once we managed to anchor according to the wishes of a certain Austrian boat, the water beckoned just as it did back in Zirje. Just as our surroundings were perfect, the water was not so cold that it was bracing, not so warm as to be stifling. “Is Krapije Croat for Paradise?” was a thought that crossed my mind.
The pristine peace was disturbed as Coconut Moon, another flotilla member made a spectacular entrance, steaming in at 5 knots with mainsail up. Not surprisingly, the lone crew member aboard the 37ft boat could be heard yelling, “trop vite! trop vite!” The drama mellowed quickly, although the errant mainsail remained hoisted. We thought they may have succumbed to a similar predicament as ourselves: our hoisting sheet had snagged on a protrusion in the mast, a problem that was solved at the cost of a toenail.
The crowded lucky-dip box that is my brain didn’t have time for such frivolous worries. Dinner beckoned as did a landlubbing trip to the town of Krapije. Along with the hardy crew of Wind Magic, we searched (successfully it may be added) for ice cream. We really struck it lucky. Not only did gelato meet our lips, but the glorious sight of Michael Phelps swimming to the success captured our salt-encrusted gaze. Our period of golden happiness however was short-lived. On the short trip back to Sea Monkey, the outboard failed, leaving the troubled back of my dad to row us the remaining several hundred meters. Luckily, some more fuel remedied the engine problems. Ultimately, it simply wasn’t possible to harbour any negative sentiment towards Krapije.
Having left Pinta for our two days of free sailing, we didn’t have a forecast for the following day, leaving us feeling comfortably in the dark. How right we were. The big guy once more had mercy with us. The winds struggled to breach the 7 knot barrier. Admittedly this lack of proper wind was getting rather dull, so it was rather exciting to have a German jetskier roar up to the stern and ask for directions to Krapije, to which we pointed vaguely behind us. Still, the winds had deserting us for good, perhaps saving their strength for one final hurrah so the prop speed scurried towards 2500 rpm as we steamed towards our lunch spot at Tijat, a small island roughly between Vodice and Sibenik.
Although not exactly a secluded anchorage, Tijat provided pleasant, calm water, perfect for its intended purpose of a place to swim and lunch. However, just as the final crumbs were being washed overboard, a transmission came in on the VHF from Pinta, saying that a large yacht had taken up all the berths at our initial destination, package-resort bound Vodice, so they were diverting to Zlarin, a mere 3 miles from Tijat and reputed to be a calm, quiet village with the added luxury of water and power hook-ups.
The short crossing allowed me another chance to take the helm, but as we entered the harbour something odd struck me. Two of the Zagreb tagalongs had been swallowed by an annoyingly…large, young blonde. Still, the legendary bearded guy remained but more to point, our supplies were running low, meaning such shallow thoughts could wait.
Frustratingly both the Jadrolinija ferry office and mini-market were closed, so in a desperate attempt to waste time, we pounded concrete (walked) for the remaining hours, passing by a so eloquently named, German, gasthaus. (Nazi connotations, anyone?) A pleasing change, the town definitely was not under siege from plagues of rather…hefty, shirtless tourists. The sprawling bellies were replaced by sprawling summer homes, a quiet fishing harbour and remarkably narrow backstreets, on one of which the market sat.
By this point, we had somehow made it through the hour and a half until opening time, so we embarked on another flight of fancy to the market. Kindly, all of humanity decided to guide us through the process, so the shelves were dwindling along with the check-out attendant’s smile once we made it out the door but all the same, we got more or less what we needed. A sumptuous dinner of I-can’t-remember-what appeared from the bowels of Sea Monkey several hours later, swiftly followed by another perilous search for ice cream, this time with the dairy-starved folk of Musling II and Servanto joining the hunt. It took a circuit of the town but eventually we laid eyes on a gelato stall lurking next to a marina-side restaurant. The ice cream wasn’t up to scratch with that of Krapije but having an actual town to look around, complete with tucked-away church, made it worth it. What’s more, thoughts on delicate differences in ice cream tastes tend to evaporate faster than Usain Bolt can run the 100m when the news that 40kt winds await is delivered.
Prior to this haunting report, we had heard forecasts of 25kt winds which ultimately failed to materialize, and when we rose to sea the flags sitting collapsed, naturally the big guy had taken mercy on us. Nah. Hell no. Once we rounded the northeastern tip of Zlarin Island, breaking waves crashed into the side of the poor Sea Monkey, her storm jib filled with 30kt winds. The sheer angle with which some of the foolhardy, fully-sailed boats were heeling had my heart in my mouth.
To make matters that much more inconvenient, the wind was blowing directly in our faces, meaning that a lot of tacking was required to go anywhere. For the uninitiated, tacking involves bringing the sails around to the other side of the boat by turning through the wind; a manoeuvre that can cause capsizes in dinghy sailing. You get the point, tacking in winds that ended up topping 35kts wasn’t much fun. After around an hour of waves and fear jolting the boat as it made little progress towards Krapanj, the call came in from Musling II that they were abandoning plans for a day’s sailing and motoring into the harbour.
The steadily increasing windspeed caused the waves to grow, so as we were being buffeted around we turned around and headed for Krapanj whilst I hauled in the storm jib, somehow acquiring an elbow gash and a rope-whipped eyeball in the process. 10 minutes later we turned around once more. In all the chaos, Dad had misinterpreted the GPS display. We were wondering why all the other Sunsail boats were going the other way.
Taking care to avoid the precariously shallow waters off the island, we turned around the southern tip of Krapanj an hour later. The winds dropped off by 10kts and the waves subsided a little. All the same, 10 boats waited to be moored, with only two local skippers to lead the way, so it was another 40 minutes before we were furiously yanking at ropes to secure ourselves to a remarkably calm pontoon. As per the norm, we were treading delicately over pebbles on the way to the beach within seconds of being secured. Due to the stormy conditions, the water was a little cooler, which in all honesty was refreshing and helped down the staple lunch of chocolate sandwich cookies. By now, the winds had picked up to 30kts in our oh-so-sheltered harbour. Contemplating boarding the pontoon, let alone any of the yachts was a life-or-death decision. One foolhardy skipper had been thrown from the gangplank and into the furiously churning waters below. White knuckles gripping onto the stern, he was tugged to the relatively safety of his cockpit. It wasn’t all bad. The swells crashing into the boats also passed by a concrete dock which jutted out into the channel, which meant that if you timed it reasonably well, you could dive into the top of a wave and be swept into the beach a little downwind of there.
That is how we entertained ourselves for the hours preceding the farewell dinner, diving into the perilously shallow waters (tombstoning, I believe its called), exacting the art of scurrying between island, pontoon and boat at exactly the right lull in swells and laughing at those unfortunate souls who found themselves deposited in the sea. A merry time it was, even if our nextdoor neighbours’ gangplank was snapped like a twig.
Although it seemed an eternity, the winds died down to the low 20s by 6pm, leaving us time for a beer, some hors d’oeuvres and a game of Uno before sauntering into Hotel Spongolia for dinner, seated, because we’re a bit Dutch, with the two Flemish families. An awkward silence followed, but eventually we got to talking, in a mixture of incomprehensible Flemish and English. Still, we learned that one family lived in just any suburb of Brussels, but a very important one. Desperately, I tried not to crack a smile. Bluntly put, I failed.
Anyhow, the slightly tepid food arrived, giving us an excuse to break off negotiations. The minutes span by and were soon followed by our fellow flotilla-ers, leaving a raucous last chat with the Pinta Peeps, where we discovered that we were their favourites. We had such a mirth-filled 10 minutes that as we walked to the nearby ice-cream parlour, Emmanuel galloped up to us and kindly reminded us that our tab sat unpaid. Once the matter was resolved, we strode on through a trattoria, past some stray dogs, loaded up on gelato and wandered on, eventually stopping at another finger pontoon reaching out of the southern tip of Krapanj.
Everyone, the whole island it seemed, was feeling drowsy so we clambered through our waiting suitcases and let REM, dreams to you and me, descend. No doubt soon enough they would be filled with memories of this amazing sailing trip.

Sidetracked in Italy

2008-08-25T12:52:00.000Z

Several days ago, we crossed the Franco-Italian border near Bardonecchia, a small, picturesque Alpine town. The transition from the somewhat dumpy, industrial villages south of Chambery to this more stereotypical “mountain resort” was marked. For somewhere to appear more suave, more elegant than France, admittedly a relatively impoverished corner of France was impressive.

Imagine the confusion that stared me down as our train sped out of the Alps and past Turin. As the mountains became flowing plains, the quaint hilly towns became messy, sporadic smatterings of settlement spread over farmland. The dust settled as the train came to rest on the tracks outside Milano Centrale, the pronunciation of which I wouldn’t discover until the following day. My fears were affirmed. That “rustic” element emboldened in the holiday brochures was equally pronounced on the ground. If truth be told, that aforementioned layer of dust never quite settled over the streets of Milan.

My early impressions of the Lombardian capital originated chiefly from the city’s two soccer teams, Internazionale and AC Milan, both of which have long been amongst the elite of the footballing brethren. A city that has the ability to support two of the world’s most cultural, respected clubs must itself me pretty suave, stylish, or so I thought. Some areas of the station looked downright dilapidated, a slap in the face to graceful phalanx that housed the station proper. Likewise, the long, endless avenues stretching from Milano Centrale down towards the Duomo were filled mostly with 6-floor high, rectangular buildings. The connotation of style was lurking around. I just couldn’t find it, or least not until squirming past some Senegalese touts and onto to the piazza outside Duomo. A site to behold it was. The Duomo, Castello and surrounding area brought some style, austere though it was, to the otherwise drab financial capital, Milan. The dust clung to the facades but the Castello was particularly impressive. Indeed, it seems to be a case of perspective. In the scorching midday sun, many cities will seem tired and boring but life seemed to come to the streets at dusk. Not a natural tourist destination, this made sense. The people were out of the office and the dust invisible. Milan’s potential shone through.

The train ride the following morning was equally impressive. In complete contrast to most modern intercity trains, the aging carriage bound for Trieste brought back the sense of adventure from a slightly bygone era. Dust clung inside and out but the sense of nostalgia was mostly evoked by the compartmentalised layout. The route itself passed through many key cities such as Verona and Brescia after speeding past Lake Garda. Several hours later, we rolled over a long causeway, passing by a long stretch of water. I wasn’t sure where we were bound, but when we pulled to a stop, the sign read “Venezia,” so whilst one dose of confusion abated, another arrived. Why had we strayed from the path to Trieste? I guess it really was a stopping train. Anyhow, that’s another landmark city I’ve “been” to.

We were only 150 miles or so from our destination but the remainder of the journey felt an eternity. The train began to empty but as we passed through Monfalcone, several miles east of Trieste Airport, I began to find my niche in Italy. The startling coastline, the redbrick roofs, this was the Italy I thought of. No more dull Milanese urbanity, the vibrant port city of Trieste awaited. After 15 hours of rail-riding, our journey was coming to an end, or so I thought. The train station lay some 3km from our hotel, so we searched in exhausted desperation for the appropriate bus. Unfortunately a teenager lay keeled over in the first, but soon we found the line towards Via Dell’Istria. The only problem was that we couldn’t find the street sign. In the end, we passed around the city several times before a kind old lady showed us the way, not before some alarming exposure to Italian Goths, more hardcore but paradoxically upbeat in comparison to the British counterparts. Still, a sense of relief mingled with the cool air-conditioning of the hotel.

Later that night, we stumbled through a rain-swept street and into a local restaurant. The pizza was amazing, completely contrasting to the previous dinner. The gelato next door was equally impressive. Italian cuisine, particularly as grassroots level, deserves every ounce of its reputation. The meal brought with it a need to exercise so we attempted to get down to the dock, although that proved impossible. Still, the vibrance of Trieste was obvious. Our short jaunt through Italy was drawing to a close, but still I was confused. There didn’t seem to any rhyme or reason as to the dynamic of the cities I had visited or passed through over those 48 hours.

Un Jour Parisien

2008-08-25T12:31:00.002Z

I must start this series of blogs with an apology. What follows will at times be a diatribe of blather, thanks to most of the memories being week-old by the time I actually got round to putting together the posts. Nonetheless, I hope there's something enjoyable about them.

***

For all of nine days, I had been building up to August 6^th, the day I would first experience the apparent wonder that is Paris. True, I had driven through a rough section of the urban fringe last summer on the way to Chartres but this time, the true Paris waited.

Another dream of mine has been to “do” Europe by train, so shortly after 9am, we pulled out of Meldreth train station bound for the line’s terminus at King’s Cross/ St. Pancras Intl. After arriving in North London, it was a short trek to the Eurostar Terminal within the newly-renovated St. Pancras. Check-in was a reassuring breeze, little more complicated than putting a ticket through a set of turnstiles. I was beginning to understand the allure of train travel versus the human abattoir that constitutes the low-cost sections of Luton and Stansted airports.

The “departures lounge” pleasingly didn’t offer the plethora of duty-free junk seen at most airports, merely offering a coffee shop, sandwich bar and news-agent. Likewise, the lounge itself refrained from becoming a human cattle-pen, instead providing well-spaced seating, the same of which would be true aboard the Eurostar itself. Indeed, as we whizzed to Paris, arriving Gare du Nord in barely two hours, I only had one complaint. The luggage racks couldn’t fit much of anything in them, a small price to pay for the convenience of international train travel.

Gare du Nord itself greeted us with a whole-hearted, hot and sweaty handshake and by the time we managed to weave through its sprawling mass to the D-Line, towards Gare de Lyon, our knees were beginning to quiver, not purely due to the prospects of the city beyond that awaited us. After a similarly exhausting discovery of the maze that is Gare De Lyon, we basked in sweat-stained relief. Our hotel beckoned.

An urgent “fresh-up” was required but soon we were on our way with no real aim or direction. Intending to sample the famous Velido scheme of Paris, we instead trundled through la Musee de Sculptures en Plein Air. Eventually we ended up, via an aqualemon rest stop at the Centre George Pompidou with no real idea of what lurked within. I had heard that the centre was an architectural masterpiece. Although a very unique structure, it would be difficult to describe the Pompidou as masterful; Zany, most definitely but definitely not stylish.

This perception is in contrast not only to the immediate area, which is brimming with buskers and bustling cafes but also to the galleries and exhibitions of the Pompidou. The two most striking galleries occupied the top two floors, which also commanded fantastic views over Paris. The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and other legendary, traditionalist sights were staring us back in the eye, an ironic experience to say the least.

The 6^th floor exhibition contained the most contemporary of abstract, socialist-themed art. There seemed to be an emphasis on destiny for directions and guidance were nowhere to be seen. Highlights included a praying Hitler and a darkened room titled only as “Punishment.” My feet were shaking as a meandered back into the humid confines of the exterior escalator. Contemporary art can be awesome, immediately thought-provoking or dull, bland and cheap. The exhibition entirely fulfilled the former category but unfortunately parts of the gallery below our jelly-legs didn’t evoke that quivering wonder bestowed by its literal and metaphorical higher-ups. That isn’t quite fair – Miroslav Vichy’s exhibition was fascinating. To think that his photographs were produced entirely from homemade camera equipment shows the ingenuity and mastery Vichy possessed in regard to his discipline. Unfortunately those qualities were lacking from his gallery neighbors. Many canvases were merely splattered with paint. The awe of the more memorable exhibits could not, however, be damaged. My brain was raging right through until we arrived across the Seine in the Latin Quarter, in search of gelato. This was evident for we walked halfway to the Louvre, completely the wrong direction in other words.

Once we actually made it tour intended destination, the scents and sights of the Latin Quarter descended upon me. The smashing plates, the oozing crowds and the delicate food. I understood the hype. Still, tens of thousands of my fellow temporary Parisians also understood this concept for elbow room was hard to come by. After the gelato madness, we headed back to the Gare De Lyon, meandering along the vibrant banks of the Seine. I must admit to feeling bewildered upon arrival in Paris but by the conclusion of my 6 hours on the streets, I felt six months may have been a long enough period to begin to get a feel for the city.

Back on the Long and Winding Road

2008-08-02T22:38:00.002Z

Just under a week ago, I was sitting, crammed into one of American Airlines' new-age economy seats at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Rendered senseless by fatigue and frustration, I ridiculed the airline. Along with the entire airline industry, they can breathe a sigh of relief next week. Wednesday marks the day I leave for Croatia, but with a twist. Not once will I soar 38,000 feet up in the air. No, I'm taking the train to Hrvatska, via Paris, Milan and Trieste.
My only previous experience of long distance train travel came in China, where I endured "state-regulated heating," invasion of privacy and a snoring bunk-mate. Then again, I loved it, so if anything I'm wary of our Eurostar and TGV jaunt across France and Italy.
Then again, the luxury of no unexplained rolling halts in the middle of nowhere combined with guaranteed heating carry some merit in offsetting the lack of excitement. Whereas Chinese train travel is fun in a more earthy sense of the word. Due to the design of the carriages, people are forced to be more open and social, so the climate arises for interesting and for the most part enjoyable experiences. For the record, yes, I enjoyed that frozen night in Pingyao.
On the other hand, I can enjoy a smooth but somehow less fun journey in Europe. Everything runs at 200km/h+, so I will be able to sample that Germanic efficiency but at the same time, I hope that something interesting will happen.
Still, until I actually get on the Eurostar in North London, my suspicions will remain as such. Unfortunately as the clock winds down to departure, the notion that we're leaving after only arriving back 9 days ago sinks further in. That in itself is not bad, but the accompanying realization is that I have to PACK! (PANIC?)

Au Revoir/ Ciao/ Nabai

An Awkward Changing of the Guard

2008-07-31T08:29:00.003Z

Markus Naslund, 12-year Canuck veteran, long-serving captain and record scorer jumped ship to the New York Rangers. An extremely durable player, Naslund never suffered a major injury but all the while his production had been in decline since 2004, when he tallied 104 points.
Naslund was 35 when he left the Canucks, so his production had been suffering since his 30th year. Some players, such as Chris Chelios or Joe Sakic manage to be elite-level players well past the 35-year mark, but it is hugely dependent on the style of game played. Naslund relies on his speed and agility whilst Chelios and Sakic are great thinkers of the game, whereas Naslund's playmaking ability, whilst nothing to be sneezed at, left something to be desired. Likewise, his leadership abilities have been called into question time and time again. It wasn't so much that Naslund was a bad influence, more that his manner was not commanding enough to stand out as a leadership force.
In steps Pavol Demitra, signed from the rival Minnesota Wild. Demitra is a more versatile, grittier, slightly younger replacement who likely will not be burdened with any official leadership responsibilities. As such, he has the playmaking ability Naslund lacked as well as a mindset that allows him to step away from finesse plays, whereas Demitra has no bones about winding up for a slapshot. Essentially, Demitra's style is much better suited to the Canucks, so to suggest that the Canucks only came out even in this loss of Naslund and acquisition of Demitra is purely a mathematical recognition. In Demitra, we have a player who wanted to play here and whose game should better stand the test of time.
From there on, people bemoan the fact that we let Brendan Morrison walk whilst only acquiring Steve Bernier as a top-six replacement. Morrison, whilst a durable two-way player had little else to offer. Indeed, he was something of a third wheel on the West Coast Express bicycle. It wasn't clear where he'd fit with the acquisition of another top-six centre such as Mats Sundin, so Morrison was allowed to sign in Anaheim. Moreover, Bernier is young, strong and right-handed, the holy grail linemate for the Sedin brothers.
Moreover, GM Mike Gillis has been saying that he'll leave some roster spots open to young guns such as Michael Grabner or Jannick Hansen. Both Morrison and Naslund were into their 30s, so neither fit the moneyball descriptors of talent, youth, speed, size and character that Gillis wants to build his team around. Admittedly Demitra is 33+ and Sundin, if he signs, would add 37 years to the age tally but both play timeless games and no-one doubts Sundin's leadership qualities. Furthermore, both would be on short-term contracts, more evidence to suggest that a youth movement is underway. As Barack Obama says, "Change we can believe in."

Not so fast!

2008-07-30T07:04:00.002Z

Many "old-school" tennis players believe in the notion that it is the player that makes the racket, not vice-versa and whilst that it true, for a recreational player will never match the heady heights of Nadal & co thanks to a racket, the equipment is vital to the success of a tennis player, of any level.
First off, there are some basic fundamentals. The larger the headsize, the greater the sweetspot and thus the easier it is to hit an effective shot. However, large-faced rackets throw caution to the wind regarding control so more advanced players, with the exception of the Williams sisters, tend to go for something a little more conservative as they will have the ability to consistently strike with the centre of the racket.
Likewise, rackets with a thicker beam allow for more power on shorter swings but again put a compromise on control. Therefore, recreational/beginning players tend to go for thick-beamed, large-headed fare whilst players with developed strokes go in the opposite direction.
But there's more to it than that. Rec rackets tend to have more open string patterns to allow for more spin potential, whereas once more a denser pattern allows more control.
This all makes sense, but behind racket specs, a player must have confidence in his or her racket. This allows them to take proper swings, thus having a fluidity to their game. There's no such thing as a holy grail racket, but all the same, trust in one's racket can make or break a match.

I slept!

2008-07-27T21:43:00.001Z

Seems like the title of my last post it out of date. In the 6.5hrs that have elapsed since then, I have spent around 5 snoozing, broken intermittently by sudden, neck-crunching pitching of the seat in front of myself. Can’t complain too much – this is what keeps me real. In any case, we blasted off from Chicago at about 1.30am local time, so our flight wasn’t overly disturbed, other the jolting of take-off and landing and raw excitement of our prolonged Iowan fuel dump (don’t tell the EPA!!!)
Anyhow, I woke up properly to the bright sunshine of the Irish south coast and from there on in, it was an uneventful flight, just like the breakfast. Nothing bad, but the coffee was lacking in taste and the croissant tasted as though it had been fashioned cookie-cutter style from a loaf of white bread.
Still, we managed to make it in to Heathrow with the minimum of fuss and the frequent smuggle-runs from my grandmother, snuggled up in business class, helped ease the pain of a seat that could barely get past 50 degrees. Speaking of which, it felt like 50 celsius when we disembarked and I could almost feel the humidity forming water droplets on the back of my throat. Sure enough, by the time we reached immigration a thin mist of sweat was forming where the sun don’t shine. However, we considered ourselves home and dry at last after reaching the fast track line (business comes in handy!) but the passport control officer had other plans.
Being Dutch, American and English, we’re used to breezing through security and don’t make a habit of preparing properly, so when we handed our US passports to the officer, the Big Guy in the Sky dumped a bucket of red tape over our heads. According to the officer, owner of a tortuously pitched voice, we had no proof of residency. As I should have known by now, when a man in a dead end job has an opportunity to cause some pain, he will. Thankfully after this perverse toying session and a warning, we were allowed to scurry over to baggage claim. After that, it was a prolonged walk to the car but as they say, all’s well that ends well.

Sleepless in Chicago

2008-07-27T20:44:00.000Z

So here I sit, several meters above the midnight tarmac at O’Hare Airport in Chicago. No, I didn’t plan to be here. Indeed, I should probably be over northern Quebec or even Greenland right now, but neither American Airlines nor I can help it.
Personally, I blame the airline’s dire need to avoid the red, but according to the captain, it is the fault of the auxiliary power system. Apparently, we were “dispatched” with said part to test mid-flight, and if all went well, we would be to continue onwards and upwards over the Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately, the part failed, meaning that due to FAA redtape regulations, we can’t fly over water, which is pretty much a necessity when flying between the Americas and Europe.
Oh well, at least I get to add Chicago to my Facebook Cities list. Not much of a tonic for arriving home at least 2.5 hours later than planned, but it’s a start. Still, it seems that so far this year airline travel has not been kind to me. In seven flights, I’ve endured 4 mid-air medical emergencies (all on Finnair…), one missed flight and one forced landing. Things do not bode well for me and airplanes. But hey, let’s keep it in perspective. There is no gaping hole where the luggage bay was meant to be and I’m E27 richer. It just blows to be stuck on the ground, not allowed to leave the plane just to keep a struggling airline in the black.
As Palisades Tennis Center are aware, I’m committed to keeping my local businesses in operation, but if we’re calling American Airlines a local business, we may as well refer to Costco as a front yard vegetable stand. What’s more, I’m stuck in one of SeatGuru.com’s red seats for the second flight in a row. For the uninitiated, a red seat is one you should avoid at all costs. It’s not like I didn’t try. On the way over, I tried getting different seats, but my brother – bless his heart – was desperate to sit together, so we did. However, on this sector, we had the opportunity to share some quality bonding time once more, in Business Class, but the indifferent guy he is, those seats were quickly warmer the prosteriors of my Grandmother and her “Special Friend.”
Anyhow, end rant perhaps? The captain just came in over the PA and announced that the repairs had been completed and the paperwork was nearing completion, so with a smidgen of luck, we’ll pushback in 15 minutes and be on our way. So long as it doesn’t interfere with American Airline’s profit margin.

California Complications

2008-07-27T20:37:00.000Z

Television programs such as The OC and Desperate Housewives portray my motherland as one of sunny sex, fashion and air-headedness. This implied notion is both California’s saviour and nightmare.
To the outsider, California is synonymous with Hollywood and beach-living, both facets which bring many visitors in search of this deceptive “reality.” True, Hollywood exists, but the associated lifestyle is unheard of. The beaches are there, and they are certainly frequented by the locals. Essentially, the producers of the aforementioned programs did what they are famous for doing, twisting the truth. From what I can tell, it hasn’t had the greatest result on the state-wide psyche.
Cast as a flip-flopping no-brainers, Californians must feel insulted. There is a reason that 7 Top-50 universities reside in the state. Indeed, at UCLA, Berkeley and UCSD, well over 75% students come from California. Moreover, I had never come across the supposed stereotypical Californian until last Christmas, and whilst I’m not exactly Mr Popular, I’m no wallflower either.
Point is, California is so much more than beach and sun, love and lust. There is a strong intellectual tradition and a rich Spanish culture, whose roots can be seen state-wide today. Indeed, California is also one of the US’s most diverse states – in Los Angeles alone, 47% of the population is Hispanic. There are also considerable quantities of East Asians, African-Americans and of course Whites.
All this combines to form a melting pot of peoples and cultures so rich that it would put Hollywood bank accounts to shame. But its about more than wealth, right?

Claremont Breakdown

2008-07-24T05:56:00.000Z

Today our "by the wayside" college tour continued, after a brief stop at UC San Diego yesterday. To many, the Claremont Consortium reflects an unknown quantity. The colleges, with the exception of "reefer haven," Pitzer, the colleges are ranked highly by authorities such as US News. Still, they don't attract the same name recognition as their East Coast brethren, such as Williams and Amherst Colleges.
Anyway, the Claremont Colleges are located on the Northeastern fringe of LA County, in the town of Claremont (surprise, surprise,) nicknamed the "Town of Trees and PhDs." From the drive through the town to campus, it seemed like a well-serviced town with a pleasant, relaxing ambiance. As my grandmother put it, "a little bit of Midwest within easy reach of Hollywood." To summarize, this is a safe, comfortable town where it seems everyone knows someone, if not everyone. In a region known for its inherrent lack of community, this little town provides a pleasant respite.
The actual campus area is on the fringe of town, with the five undergraduate colleges, two grad schools and amalgamated buildings packed tightly together. Given this, the difference between the five colleges is amazing. Pomona College strikes a similar pose to Stanford - grand, Spanish architecture and tall trees and an unquestionable academic reputation. Claremont McKenna is essentially the same, just with 400 less students and a Republican slant. Scripps and Harvey Mudd Colleges did not apply to my interests so it would be unfair to make any assertions about them, but I can tell you than Pitzer was also very impressive. Once the proverbial plastic wrap wears away, the place will feel great. The architecture was much more blocky than its partners but that helped it feel less precious. Although the college seems to be somewhat lost in translation due to a cycle of redevelopment, the place should make a worthy safety college for any high school whiz. I only had two concerns - the prefab feel that will hopefully wear away, as well as the quality of faculty - why should the college rank so much lower than its partners? Given that most classes can be taken at other colleges, all this shouldn't be too much of a concern, and there were plenty of positives, especially the emphasis placed on the school's extensive Study Abroad Program.
However, it seemed like the school didn't take itself too seriously. I can't help but cringe when I see a professor in shorts and flip-flops, so I think I'll let Pitzer play second fiddle to Pomona. Still, I did figure out a lot during my 3 hours exploring the Claremont Colleges. My ideal school size lies between 5000 and 15000 students. Big enough for all the resources you could possibly need yet small enough so that professors --might--- know your name or so that you should get into your desired classes. Essentially, schools like JHU and Stanford have become a lot more attractive to me on this trip, as well as UC San Diego, although that will require further investigation given that I barely got out of the car in the La Jolla campus.
In any case, I can happily say that only one school was knocked firmly off the list by this trip, and that would be UC Santa Cruz. Just too quiet for a kid in search of the big time.

Actions, Not Words

2008-07-21T06:25:00.000Z

In his quest to become the guiding light of the US, and maybe even the world, Al Gore has been Mother Nature's attorney in the fight with the Greenhouse effect. Like any good lawyer, Gore makes sure his tongue is quick on its proverbial feet, and when the audience was cast as judge, jury and executioner in Gore's now epic documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," he proved just how slick he could be when given the numbers to back him up. All he did was lay the facts out there and let us lap them up. That was undeniably a very effective tactic in promoting global knowledge of the environmental crises we face. But guess what. The gospel is out. Now, I do not doubt Gore's brains - I don't know anyone who would, but his resolve seems a little shaky.
Granted, "An Inconvenient Truth" was a powerful piece of cinematography, but at the same time, hypocrisy was more rampant than the Plague was in the Middle Ages. Other than in the auditorium, a lot of scenes were shot in airplanes or cars. What kind of message does that send out? I know I'm being a cynic, but if Jesus was an Infidel, his words and actions would have carried a lot less clout. I congratulate Gore for drawing together a posse determined on negating the Greenhouse Effect, but now is the time for action, so we need a role model who can show us the next step. Preferably not one who accumulates more airmiles in a year than most will in a lifetime. Sure, integrity and charisma are different things but it would be nice if in Gore's case there was some correlation.
Still, I understand his messiah-like status. In the years following the release of “An Inconvenient Truth,” global understanding and appreciation of the problems that could wreak havoc on mankind has increased tenfold. The Toyota Prius is one of the hottest-selling cars there is, thanks in no small part to celebrity endorsements from stars such as Leonardo Di Caprio and NHL defenseman, Scott Niedermayer. Likewise, hydrogen cars are now a reality. Recycling schemes are sprouting up everywhere. Gore has got the message through. Now time for direct action and deliverance of the gospel.
Point is, Al Gore said during a recent C-SPAN press conference that 100% of America’s energy needs could be derived from solar installations. I wasn’t listening very closely, but I didn’t hear any supplementary, hard fact. That amount of solar paneling would set the Treasury back quite some distance, probably well into the billions and so whilst there is potential, there are other important considerations to be made. More over, why such reluctance to adopt nuclear power? No current power source is as efficient, so if we are in the dire straits illustrated by Gore, urgent action is required. What should we do? Go Nuclear. No greenhouse emissions is all we need to know. Sure, nuclear waste is hazardous, but it’s not like a little vitrification can’t sort things out.
Modern humanity relies on power to live and simply couldn’t go cold turkey. Pollution of some form is a given, and we can control things, but at the same time, its about time we stopped hypothesizing and actually did something about this "impending disaster".

Snakes and Coffee

2008-07-15T21:51:00.000Z

Several hours after detailing the trials and tribulations of my stop at In-N-Out Burger on the way home from the Bay Area, we pulled into Moncenito, near Santa Barbara after a driving tour of UCSB. After around 5 hours on the road, our faithful, unerring driver was in dire need of a caffeine fix, so we strode in a restaurant and inquired as to where the nearest coffee shop maybe.
Low and behold, Trattoria Mollie, the pride and joy of Ethopian-born owner Mollie Ahlstrand has been cooking up quite a storm. The clientele includes Catherine Zeta-Jones, Oprah Winfrey and Mikhail Gorbachev. After some well-placed chit-chat from my grandmother, we all got to talking and Mollie graciously took care of our bill (3 triple espressos). She inquired in Italian-accented English what we doing in town After explaining that we were looking at colleges in the Bay Area and were on our way back south (with us, the “English Grandsons” in tow), Mollie seemed to be under the impression that I had been accepted to Stanford, which is my personal hypothesis as to why she fathered the bill.
However, like all good scientific debates, there was an alternative hypothesis. My grandmother argued that Ahlstrand’s kindness was due to Gran recognizing her Ethiopian, which would probably be a rare occurrence in a sleepy California town. Whatever the reason, Mollie’s generosity is greatly appreciated. Maybe, next time, the coffee could be a little stronger.
Anyhow, we got back to the Palisades several hours later and sat down for dinner, our fifth consecutive night at a restaurant. So, in preparation to break the streak, we went to the Farmer’s Market the following morning and stocked up on everything from Hummus to Salsa.
We arrived back home in the late morning to shrieks from Maria “Mother” Theresa and barks from the golden retriever, Louie. Then it struck us. The commotion was thanks to a large rattlesnake coiled up near the back door. Keeping my distance, I attempted to reconnoiter the situation but shortly the mustached local firemen arrived on the scene, clad in thick boots and armed with what appeared to be shovels and hoes.
Several brazen minutes later and the snake was captured, a drawstring pole (???) around its neck and a rattle shaking violently. To think it took me 16 years to catch a glimpse of a snake in an area known for them seems weird, but shortly you can share that experience, or rather just as soon as I find the camera transfer cable.

Fast Food Fatah

2008-07-13T04:40:00.001Z

When that moody old guy who lives somewhere north of Cloud Nine dumped us in Atascadera, Calif., he delivered a mission. Unearth the secret behind the wholesome, red-necked goodness behind our dear In-N-Out Burger. What could I do but oblige? The Big Guy needed an answer. So, smarting from the sight of my fellow diners, many of whom were either "Supersized" or wore spurs, or both, I meekly ordered an "Easy #2," a delightful combination of "Cheese Burger, Fries and Medium Drink," which turned out to be a Root Beer.
My hopes were rising as I read how the potatos were peeled and cubed onsite, that the beef was never frozen (is that really such a good thing?), but alas I looked at my lunch. And then touched it. And then tried to remove the paper wrapper from the burger. It...wouldn't...come...free, or at least not until I severed the umbilical chain of orange plastic (cheese?) that was busy smothering an already patty-shaped cow.
Shaking, I put the burger to my mouth, all the while grease and hollandaise sauce dripping onto my fries. I was surprised. In-N-Out burgers taste good. Really good. Apparently, there is a purpose behind the alleged freshness of the food. Sure, my fingers were inch-deep in a healthy layer of grease, by my tongue was thanking me for withstanding such an experience. All in all, if you can imagine a McDonalds meal with multi-faceted substance, you have in your hands an In-N-Out Burger. Clearly, the owners are confident enough in this selling point to offer fanware for dedicated customers. For just $15, you can have yourself a replica uniform. As to whether such an option if attractive to the somewhat country Atascadera clientele, I don't know, but considering that the mean weight of the restaurant hovered around 200lbs, I was in the presence of awesome dedication.
So Mr. Big Guy, here you have it, the secret behind the success of the "Hokepoke" Burger is this: McDonalds without the guilt is an attractive meal choice for many Californians. Apparently.

There is a God!

2008-07-12T05:10:00.002Z

Prior to Wednesday, I viewed the next two years as a long march towards the hallowed lawns of People's Park, more specifically UC Berkeley. Ironically, all that changed thanks to the grandeur of the long entrance road of Stanford University. Thanks to some very persuasive tour guides/ great uncles/aunts, in combination with the hard to miss splendor of campus. Obviously, there is a lot of noise about their academic and (supposed) athletic prowess, and indeed the only advantage the guidebook cedes to their cross-bay rivals, Berkeley, is the ownership of a better college town. So despite the stigmatic problems I discussed in my last post, Stanford seems like a pretty irresistible place.
Heck, it even appears that the recently mentioned Big Guy in the Sky wants me to swing the axe and favour Berkeley over Cal, even though his methodology seems to be a bit perverse. For starters, he only granted me 1.5 hours on campus, possibly paying off the guide to chuck in some lethargy. The rest of the day was spent meandering around Oakland and Piedmont, so my ability to suss out what Berkeley is really like was somewhat blurred, compared to my 4.5 hour initiation at Stanford. Likewise, I could almost feel the Holy Beam of Light encase me in Chinatown when a boiling cup of tea somehow wiggled free from my grip and deposited itself on every inch of my body, the food and the floor. Point is, the Big Guy wanted to chisel an ominous sensation into my head, but I will not be deterred. So long as the tumultuous dice that is residency lands in my favor, Berkeley remains Numero Uno, although I would feel happy on either side of the Big Game.
Anyway, Mr Big Guy, you've had your fun, but please, go easy on me.

I'm Sold

2008-07-11T05:43:00.003Z

Stanford University, no, sorry, Leland Stanford Junior University, is quite some place. I wasn't meant to like it - coming from a family ingrained in the public University of California, LA. On the other hand, Stanford has an "old-boy" stigma, and boasts strong associations with Donald Rumsfeld and Condoleeza Rice, so for a liberal kid from a liberal family, I had a hard time convincing myself that I could belong at such a place. Boy, that task became easy once I actually stepped foot on campus.
The campus itself is on an aesthetic par with UCLA, my benchmark for beautiful, relatively urban schools, so that made for an ideal first impression. Then consider the fact that weather is great (not far off 250 days of sun a year), big cities like San Jose (with entailing NHL franchise) and San Francisco are under an hour away and the urbanish feel of campus and you can see why I'm so smitten with Stanford. Then figure in big-time sports and the academics don't even need to be that great for the school to strike a very marked impression.
But wait a minute. Stanford has fantastic academics, a great library and the financial capabilities to make it work for any admitted student. Academic flexibility is emphasized, there is a strong international focus and...prices on campus generally don't correspond to its private status.
The old-boy stigma was perhaps my biggest stumbling block in thinking about Stanford, but hearing that it a source of great agony to students, faculty and alumni alike, I felt reassured that, whilst no Berserkeley, Stanford is not a pure republican haven.
Point is, if the Big Guy in the Sky has mercy on my sinful ways and lets me come to this palace of education, I am sure I will become one of those 86% who are happy they came to The Farm.

Banana Slug Banter

2008-07-09T05:01:00.000Z

Note: Whilst in California, I/we will be visiting several of the state’s university campuses, prospecting for the ideal college when matriculation rolls around in 2 years time. So far, we have looked at UCLA and UC Santa Cruz, with Stanford and Berkeley coming in the next few days and the Claremont Colleges in suburban Los Angeles some time while we’re here.

After a bright and early 11am start, we reached Santa Cruz shortly after noon and picnicked outside one of the school’s ten colleges, Crown. My initial feeling was that the campus was basically a farm, hardly the sophisticated, academic environment I was anticipating. My fears were soon allayed, for nestled among the pine forests are a beautiful collection of buildings that make for a very peaceful learning environment. Obviously this is no Harvard or Berkeley, but there is a good, activist vibe about the place and for what I would regard as a safety school, it would be a fun place to go to school. However, the town itself seems slightly deadbeat, but with Monterey half an hour to the south and San Jose barely an hour away, it’s not as though urban junkies will find themselves at a complete loss at UCSC.

Indeed, along with the pine scent, there is a refreshing ambiance around the university known for its tree-hugging, hippy students. Even the school’s mascot, the Banana Slug represents the laidback attitude with which they treat themselves, and that relaxed attitude is just what some kids need to establish their potential. Me? I’m looking for the buzz and energy of a big city, smitten with the electric air of Nanjing University, so I’m probably best-served by a larger, more urban campus. Despite the idyllic atmosphere of the place, I just feel the $44,000 p.a price tag is just a little much for a safety school.

Encore

2008-07-09T05:00:00.000Z

Musings from Meldreth is back by popular demand. Those random thoughts on random things (well, mostly my beloved Canucks these days) were withering like Goleta these last few days. Admittedly, no fire swept through this blog, more a lackadaisical attitude to jotting down those empty nothings surging through the cavernous black-hole I call a brain. But thanks to some well-timed flattery from my grandmother’s boyfriend, live from Carmel, it’s Musings from Meldreth.

What to write about? Hmm…let’s start with some reflections from a long day on the road. Heck, I might even throw in some revelations.

For starters, McDonald’s milkshakes contain a lot more sugar in the stateside version in comparison to its relatively suave, somewhat subtle European brother-in-law.

But hey, I guess that fits the brash American stereotype. However, the combination of staling milk and existing thirst is not a good combination when the water bottles sit empty whilst slogging through the 100-degree-plus highs of California’s inland valleys. Still, I could withstand my lactose-tainted words as Salinas was emerging from a mere speck on the horizon. All is well that ends well.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean things started well. Our departure from the Palisades was an hour behind schedule, but that pales in comparison to what the people of Goleta and Big Sur are up against. Huge pillars of smoke ebbing from Goleta can be seen from nearby Santa Barbara whilst the mountains around Big Sur are encased by a thick, smoky, blue-tinged haze. Not fun stuff. Let’s just hope my earlier words of wisdom apply to those people. In the words of colorful hockey color commentator, Don Cherry, “God Help Ya, God Bless Ya!” Given that would I be a considered a radical atheist, those words might not carry that much weight, although the sincerity is there.

Similarly, my hands are also knotted in prayer for those aforementioned Canucks. The foundations of the team have been rocked as captain and all-time leading scoring leader Markus Naslund jumped ship and signed with Mike’s hated New York Rangers. My adoration and sympathy for a long-suffering hero will continue, but the fabled West Coast Express line of the enigmatic Burke-Crawford era has only caused problems since the decline of its heyday and now that Morrison and Naslund look to be on their way out of Vancouver, a whole-hearted changing of the guard can finally begin.

Likewise, I could do with a whole hearted sleep right about….now.

Time for a little of the ol' Fireband

2008-07-03T19:34:00.002Z

Well the big splashes Mike Gillis promised to make in the free agent market have transpired into small, Alex Bolduc-shaped ripples. Marian Hossa, Nik Hagman, Kristian Huselius and Sean Avery could have, at the salaries they have signed to, fit under the salary cap. Instead, Vancouver has spent about $3 million, leaving around $17 million in cap space and not much to spend it on. Mats Sundin turned down the obscene $20 million per year offer tabled by Gillis and looks headed to retirement. Likewise, Pavol Demitra would only take a small chunk out of the cap. So here's what I propose, Mikey-boy. Pull a Kevin Lowe:

Sign Andrei Kostitsyn and Steve Bernier to offer sheets, (4 million per)
Trade Bieksa and a 1st rounder to Chicago (who currently sit over the cap) for Martin Havlat and Kyle Beach, (2 mill increase in salary.)
Sign Markus Naslund, Todd Bertuzzi and Brendan Morrison for 7 million total.

Dunno what you guys think, but being an armchair GM sure is fun.

Stand and Deliver

2008-07-03T18:49:00.000Z

When former player agent, Mike Gillis was hired as Vancouver Canucks GM in the aftermath of predecessor Dave Nonis’s dismissal, he gave a frank assessment of the team, stating that talent, size and speed were all lacking on offence, also mentioning the overall reliance on perennial All-Star, Roberto Luongo.
Gillis promised that we would see an entirely different makeup come training camp. In not going off the board with Vancouver’s five entry draft selections, he bucked a trend, and may even have made a steal, drafting two highly regarded players past the first round: man-child defenseman Yann Sauve was taken in the 2nd Round whilst high-flying Norwegian center Mats Froshaug was snatched 4 rounds later.
However, it its unlikely one, let alone any, prospects will see ice-time with the big club this year, so whilst the future is bright, we live in the present. Unfortunately, Gillis was on the other side of the negotiating table from his new colleagues, so he enjoys frosty relationships with a number of counterparts. Indeed, the package Vancouver put together for talented Kings center, Mike Cammalleri was rumoured to be the best one going, but due to Gillis’s role in helping take the player to salary arbitration last summer, Kings GM Dean Lombardi sacrificed the future and sent the playmaker to Calgary in a move that saw Los Angeles wind up with a 17th overall pick, seven selections lower than the one Gillis offered.
Still, it works both ways. Mike Gillis enjoys significantly more cordial relationships with his ex-clients, and rumours abound that versatile forward Pavol Demitra is set to land in Vancouver in the next few days. The Canucks have also been heavily linked with Marian Hossa, who has reportedly expressed a desire to play along fellow Slovak, Demitra. Likewise, rumour has it that Gillis also extended a $10 million offer to future Hall of Famer Mats Sundin, widely regarded as one of the league’s finest leaders.
But this is what worries me: 36 hours after the free agency period started and Gillis has just stocked the fourth line with more plugs: renowned fighter Darcy Hordichuk and PKer, Ryan Johnson, all the while letting perfectly achievable (and reasonably cheap) targets such as Nik Hagman, Radim Vrbata and Michael Ryder slip through his fingers. Admittedly, the Canucks have signed Kyle Wellwood, a 5”10 center from Windsor, Ontario who proved his ability as a top-two centerman a few years ago whilst the aforementioned Sundin was out injured. Still, nothing radical. Man, those words look tasty.

Still Not Sure

2008-07-03T18:48:00.000Z

It’s not like I lose sleep over this, but I sure would like to know what exactly I am. Sure, I know I’m a 16 year old (male) teenager with a passion for sports but also a hankering to succeed in the classroom. But let’s put it this way: I still feel like a foreigner in the UK, the USA and Holland, even if I am a citizen of each country. Even a phalanx of bureaucratic red (orange?) tape has failed to convince me that I’m not Dutch, even if can barely claim to possess a cursory knowledge of the language.
Still, I’m uncomfortable with the brash yet cushy American way of things yet also feel lost with the meek, gritty, direct (how’s that for paradoxical?) scheme of things back in Europe. As you can see, I’m just about lost for plausible reasons to this indecision. I have one theory.
See, I live in the UK, but have never gained any real appreciation for say, the Scouse or Geordies, but likewise the formulation for my interpretation of America is more or less reliant on the white upper-class avenues of Southern California. Point is, my grassroots knowledge of the UK, US and Holland is so lacking that it is nigh impossible to translate my experiences to myself. Effectively, that little section of the fatty, watery mass that constitutes my brain is like a ticket to Wimbledon’s Centre Court for today’s (yesterday by now) match up between Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal: Non-transferable, no matter what the holder does.
However, neither love nor money can help solve my identity “crisis,” to toss in an overused catchphrase. Pure, damned hard work. Speaking of which, a belated good luck to you, Andy.

Turn that frown halfway upside down!

2008-06-27T20:23:00.003Z

Boy, they knew what they were talking about in the '60s. Live life to the full, in the present, etc. Never mind that the ashes from World War II were still cooling, that the Korean War had only just passed over and that the Vietnam war was in full flow, these guys did what they could to simply be happy, even if the Cold War looked like it was about to get hot.
So to even compare our existence to our tie-dying forefathers seems like a long shot. Sure, the Middle East is still on tenterhooks, but South East Asian instability is an afterthought for the international tourists lounging in Da Nang.
There is still a lot of work to be done, such as relieving the numerous crises in the Middle East, and the lovely remnant of the colonial era, impoverished Africa, but progress has been made in other areas in the last 50 years.
The funny thing is that the colonial era is, to an extent, the driving factor behind the Middle East conflict. Sure, golden oldies will go and remind us that the region is extremely volatile, but at the same time, it was our governments that established Israel, which is undeniably a huge thorn in the side of Arab peace. The effects of that map-drawing session can be seen in the Iranian revolution, which in turn sparked the Islamic fundamentalist movement.
Point is, as insatiable Jeremiah Wright's comments were about "birds coming home to roost," there is an element of truth. By dabbling in the Middle East 60 years ago, we established a climate that allowed for tension to further destabilize into anarchy.
Likewise, "colonial" Africa has yet to produce a stable, wealthy economy. The problems are so many and so complicated that I won't try to go into them, but we've seen what aid has done for the likes of Germany and Japan post WWII, but at the same time, we may just be seeing the immense consequences of AIDS.
However, as Coldplay once said, "everything's not lost." Aside from the Balkan conflict, Europe hasn't seen real war since 1945. East Asia is booming economically, which has had happy knock-on effects for central Asia and may have some antidotal qualities for Africa. Who knows.
Point is, there's a lot of bad things going on, but there is also so much resurgency that to walk around with a cloud over your head just doesn't make sense.
Advisory: this really was a musing.

Considering Freedom

2008-06-25T20:24:00.002Z

Freedom is a fickle thing. Nearly impossible to define. Absolutely impossible to grasp.
Here I sit, freshly released from the confines of the classroom and I still wonder just when summer vacation starts. As I said in my last post, I'm lost between vacation mode and exam season. The two have become so intertwined that I force myself to labor away here, tapping out thoughts from an empty brain.
So used to intense academic workouts my brain has become that I feel lost when considering that I still have 11 long weeks of bliss in front of me. Don't get me wrong, I am glad to be relieved of the somewhat claustrophobic nature of Melbourn Village College, but the allure of Hills Road is a huge distraction ahead of my longest summer break ever.
Still, the hardest part of the transition is being at loose ends. Thankfully, the doldrums disappear on Saturday, with the start of my first tennis tournament in nearly a year. What an opportune moment for shoulder tendinitis to appear. But still, I did a few exercises today and the soreness is ebbing a little. Admittedly, I also didn't pick-up a racket today, but with similar precautions over the next couple of days and I should be drugged and up and good to go come Saturday.
Anyway, after the weekend tournament, its getting ready to make haste to the bright lights and sunny nights of El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula, LA to you and me.
Its hard to believe that in less than a week, I'll be stepping out into the glorious, fume-laced scent of LA World Way before cruising down Lincoln Boulevard and into the hills of the Palisades. But hey, where better to find freedom in the "land of the free, the home of the brave?"

Its Finally Come!

2008-06-22T20:32:00.002Z

For many weeks now - ever since the exam schedule came out back in March, I had been counting the days until June 18, the end of a hectic mixture of exams and revision. Four days have passed since that landmark, but if feels like an eternity. Indeed, I have enjoyed the company of relative freedom of the summer holidays, which have made an annoyingly unmarked arrival. Admittedly, I have had a lot going on since Wednesday, what with Prom and the After-party, and I still have to catch up on some Music Technology work, but it still feels like the academic choke-chain around my neck hasn't been loosened yet.
My guess is that the ETC Singles Open, starting in Braintree on Friday, will help to draw my thoughts away from the classroom, and shortly after that, several weeks of sun and fun in Californ-I-A will reinforce this weird concept of relaxation. Its an alarmingly harsh adjustment from the nervous tension of exam season to this doldrum-like boredom, so I am definitely glad that I will be busy more or less until I start Sixth-Form College in September, and if truth be told, a big part of the indifferent start to the Hols would be to do with being free from the classroom for around a month now. Essentially, the tye-dye contrast will only really show when I walk out onto the "hallowed lawns" of Braintree Tennis Club, and from there on out, get this: there will be something happening for 10 glorious weeks. My first unaccompanied flight, my first real sailing trip, my first real tennis tournament, etc etc. Still, I may have been released from the "jail" that is school, but it feels like I'm only on parole.

Elixir of Life

2008-06-18T20:56:00.004Z

Well what was all the fuss about? Group C, the group of death, was undercut by a resurgent Holland team desperate to dispel the label of "perennial underachievers." And how.
For the past couple of years, Coach Marco van Basten has been criticized for failing to bring more experienced players into the squad. The voices have gone quiet as young guns such as Robin van Persie and Wesley Sneijder dominate whilst vets such as Clarence Seedorf and Roy Makaay were left out of the fold.
Far from the maligns of 2006, the Oranje destroyed Italy to the sweet tune of 3-0, playing a graceful counter-attacking game, outclassing their cheap Italian counterparts. Several days later, the boys came back for an encore, thumping the other half of the last World Cup Final, France, 4-1 as Sneijder notched his second goal of the tournament. The Oranje proved that the best defense is a strong offense, as Arjen Robben slammed home from a ridiculously acute angle a mere 90 seconds after former Gunner Thierry Henry converted past Edwin van der Sar.
In two games versus the World Cup finalists, the Dutch had established a goal difference of +6, so French and Italian coaches, Raymond Dommennech and Roberto Donadoni pleaded with van Basten to leave Romania flailing like their respective teams.
And he delivered, despite fielding a second-string lineup. Get this, the Dutch reserves comfortably beat Romania, a team that held both Italy and France. That is the magnitude of what Holland are capable of. 23 world class players staring you down in the tunnel must send shivers down any opposition's back. Very few teams in the world, let alone this tournament can rival that strength.
Prior to the opening game, many Dutch fans didn't give their team a chance, but my voice of reason as rung true as the Oranje progress to the quarter-finals, where they will face an unpredicatable Russian team on Saturday.
As John Motson so eloquently put it, thank the "Oranje BOOM!" Well, that plus 120,000 orange-clad fans.

Like, Totally Awesome!

2008-06-09T22:50:00.005Z

We're back, baby! The days of total football are no longer a thing of the past. The Oranje destroyed the Azzuri, reigning World Cup champions to the glorious tune of 3-zip. Coming into the European Championships, Holland had maintained the best defensive record, but chose to accompany it with a paradoxically empty score card. Not anymore. van Basten's boys have at long last found the middle of the road, and did they ever ride the camber tonight.
In the 9th minute, my screams for a penalty were waived away by the referee but just under half an hour later, Ruud van Nistelrooij slotted home whilst veteran Italian Christian Panucci lay "injured," voiding the offside rule. Ruud himself stood for a moment in disbelief, but quickly was embraced by his ecstatic teammates. All chatter of a training-ground fracas was dispelled after the Dutch came together in unity. 5 minutes later, Holland was once again reaping the rewards of a youthful squad sprinkled with a handful of established veterans.
Gio van Bronckhorst cleared off the line, setting up a break that eventually saw Dirk Kuyt tee up Galactico, Wesley Sneijder for a volley not far off that of his coach, the legendary Marco van Basten. Holland continued to dominate through to the interval, with Orlando Engelaars particularly impressive despite the Italians taking a liking to kicking anything that moved, Dutchman or football. Indeed, van Nistelrooij was robbed of penalty after once more being kicked by Massimo Ambrosini.
After the break, the Italians began to ratchet up the pressure on the boys in orange, but despite some shaky defending, the Dutch managed to reassert themselves with around a quarter of an hour to go. Indeed, the turning point in the second half came when Edwin van der Sar saved magnificently off a Andrea Pirlo free-kick. His teammates quickly broke in on Gigi Buffon thanks to some wonderful passing play from Gio van Bronckhorst and Rafael van der Vaart. After Dirk Kuyt's initial attempt to lob Buffon was rebuffed, the Liverpool man crossed to van Bronckhorst who knocked the header into the goal off a helpless Italian defender.
The Dutch maintained the clean sheet after Luca Toni was unlucky to see his shot deflect of a fellow Italian, but ultimately, the Oranjes were far superior, more or less deserving the 3-0 scoreline.

Now hold on a minute...

2008-06-05T22:57:00.002Z

For as long as I can remember, which admittedly on stretches back 3 Presidents , every man, or now woman that has had a shot at going for the White House has made the same grand proclamation that "The United States does not negotiate with terrorists," or something along those lines.
But "terrorists," that's a funny word. The Bush administrations have taken it to mean any Arab organization that doesn't coo with admiration when talking about the West. Sure, the Shah was nice to the US but he killed his own people. Still, that's not terrorism, no matter how scary it may be to have a ruler who wants to kill you. So now the Ahmedinejad-backed government is listed as a state sponsor of terrorists. Iran's hardline regime may be unsavory, but their domestic rule is merely an interpretation of the Koran. No motive to induce terror. Likewise, the main reasoning behind labeling Iran as a sponsor of terrorism is that it gives money and arms to Hezbollah who admittedly wreaked havoc across Lebanon in the Civil War.
However, times have changed. To describe Hezbollah as an active terrorist organization would be loose. Leader Hassan Nasrallah condemned the 9/11 attacks. Osama must be banging his head against a brick wall.
Likewise, Kim Jong Il undeniably leads an oppressive, totalitarian regime but has never committed an actual act of terrorism.
Point is, when Obama said yesterday that "The USA does not negotiate with his terrorists," he basically said nothing about rescinding his promise to engage in dialogue with "rogue" states such as Iran or North Korea. Just because they don't like us, doesn't mean they want to blow us up. I'm starting to see how the IDF got Israel into such a mess. Indeed, if we're calling Hezbollah a terrorist organization, surely the IDF are as well. After all, I'd be pretty terrified if I was sitting on Beirut Airport's runway two summers ago and massive craters started appearing all around me. But hey, food for thought.

RIP Luc Bourdon: 1987-2008

2008-05-29T18:56:00.002Z

Blooming blue-liner Luc Bourdon passed away this afternoon in New Brunswick, Canada. He was 21, drafted 10th overall in 2005 by the Vancouver Canucks. Bourdon played 27 games with the Canucks this season, recording 2 goals, including an absolute rocket against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The shock has prevented the news from sinking in yet.
Luc had been a fan favourite at GM Place ever since his days with the Canadian Junior team. Whenever Bourdon came up with a big play, the fans would serenade him with chants of "Luuuuuc." Initially, he appeared to be something of a flop, but showed signs last year of becoming a tough and steady defenceman, a rock on the Canucks blue-line for the next decade.

Instead, Luc will be watching the Canucks from the rafters, presuming that Canucks management does the honorable thing and retires his #28 jersey.
Still, when searching for a silver lining, this is all I can come up with: if Mike Gillis does take the decision to retire Bourdon's jersey, he will gain that street cred that Mark Messier lost when he took over the deceased Wayne Maki's #11 jersey. But that really is a pretty weak silver lining.
Heartfelt condolences to the Bourdon family. Wins and losses seem pretty irrelevant at a time like this.

Here are some highlights from Luc's sadly stunted career:

Sorry, No Love from Russia!

2008-05-21T23:03:00.002Z

Oh dear oh dear. Stamford Bridge will not see a trophy this season. Cracks are starting to form in the oligarchic Russian Roman Abramovic's theory that money can buy success. Chelsea went down 6-5 on penalties to league winners Manchester United. In some ways, I didn't really care. Arsenal were long gone from the greener pastures of continental Europe so there was little in the game for me. However, I do believe that football games should be won on the talent of the players and the intellect of the managerial staff, not the deep, silk-lined pockets of the owner.
Henceforth, I was rooting for the Red Devils, not the Chelsea Cheapskates. Let's make this clear. I despise Manchester Utd. But I loath Chelski on a whole other level.
To see Didi Drogba sent off for bitchslapping Vidic at 1-1 left a bitter taste in Chelsea's mouth and set the angry fire burning in the hearts of Manchester. Yet the game dwindled with the Blues more or less edging the Us until the petulant Joe Cole was taken off for Salomon Kalou in the 103rd minute. Avram Grant first real managerial decision had been a poor one as Manchester controlled the tempo but were unable to capitalize amongst a dozen or so episodes of cramp and the referee blew for penalties.
Both teams capitalized on every chance before Ronaldo capitulated his to the hands of Petr Cech. Monotony returned until Cashley Cole somehow squeezed the ball through van der Sars' fingers, setting up John Terry for a championship-winning spot-kick. Alas, ol' JT slipped to the freshly-laid Luzhniki turf, sending his effort on to the right-hand upright. Both teams added an extra goal. Conclusively, Nani then sent the ball past Cech before mid-season arrival Nicolas Anelka sent the ball tamely into the welcoming palms of Edwin van der Sar. The Dutch legend lept from the ground in elation whilst Anelka merely stood, wondering where he's off too next. van der Sar's teammates hugged, kissed and generally embraced their keeper whilst their counterparts realised that money is no substitute for success. Indeed, Arsenal have the meagre Emirates Cup to hang over Chelsea's heads.
I wasn't so much celebrating Manchester's win but Chelsea's loss. I can now rest comfortable knowing that money doesn't necessarily win titles. That same knowledge leaves Roman Abramovich twisting in his silken sheets. Actually I don't know. He still has this:
Yeah, I don't think he's too upset.

God Hates China

2008-05-12T21:53:00.003Z

God Hates China. That pretty much sums up the rough ride China has been given in the past few months, let alone the last month. However, that is a poor analogy, as God doesn't exist, and a non-existent being obviously can't hate anything, but you get my gist. China has drawn the short straw so far in '08:

January- February 2008: The Big Guy in the Sky decided to dump ridiculous amounts of snow on Southern China, with Henan and Guangdong being hit particularly hard. Reports of 1,00,o00 backlogged travellers camped out at Guangzhou and Nanjing rail stations added to the furor. Although only 133 perished as a result of the blizzard, many were injured in accidents or stampedes. Thousands went without basic services but the main hit was taken by the Treasury: some $7 billion in potential profit was lost, and harvests were badly affected.

March 2008: This time another religious group is to blame. On March 10th, monk-led protests and marches spread across Lhasa and wider Tibet. The escalation was preceded by inflammatory words from Dharamsala, India, the seat of the exiled Tibetan Government. Things took a violent turn on the 14th as protesters clashed with PRC police. Chinese living in Lhasa faced persecution whilst their native counterparts faced ambiguous prosecution. We could see Chinese being beaten on the streets of the Tibetan capital in a cleverly-released video, whilst Tibetans were beaten behind closed doors. However, the international community regarded this not as Chinese steadfast protection of sovereign territory but as a precursor to genocide. Ludicrous, but whilst I don't condone the Chinese government's actions, that simply does not amount to accurate journalism. Point is, this warping led to global protests and attacks on the Olympic Torch route. China's economy may have been booming, but its international reputation was a shrinking violet.

28th April: Two trains collide near Zibo, Shandong province. 70 were killed and 400 injured whilst the international community blamed China's rapid, laxly controlled development for the collision. Xinhua would later join that hypothesis, as well as noting that at least one train was travelling at excessive speed. Whatever the reason, this was something the country could have done without, especially considering that the derailment occurred on a route linking two Olympic host cities, Beijing and Qingdao.

May 12th: A huge 7.8 earthquake rocked Sichuan province, not far from the regional capital, Chengdu. Thousands were buried in this largely agricultural area. The death toll so far has reached 15,000 but is set to rise as soldiers have only recently reached the epicenter. Heart wrenching stories of school collapses are finally drawing China some sympathy, but 15,000 souls is a huge price to pay for some support.

Still, they say every cloud has a silver lining. China has been lauded for its relief efforts. Premier Wen Jiabao was quick on the scene, offering support to the stricken and overseeing the rescue effort. Thousands of soldiers, policemen and rescue workers have descended on the worst-hit areas and the government is actively welcoming overseas aid pledges. All this, and yet God has the gall to rain on Sichuan.
Still, China has shown in the simplest of ways that it will do whatever it takes to care for its own. It didn't need to build the Three Gorges Dam or host the Olympics to exemplify this. China has responded fantastically to an extremely difficult situation. Shear manpower and national unity get the job done. Somewhere up above, Chairman Mao is smiling.

Where Art Thou, Regional Responsibility?

2008-05-10T21:14:00.003Z

Four or five days ago, the lights went out across Beirut. Gunshots echoed through the city that had, sadly, been expecting them for a long time. Ever since Emile Lahoud abandoned the Presidency in late 2007, a perpetual state of uneasiness has plagued the city that was slowly returning to its earlier label, "Paris of the East." As one Lebanese classmate of mine said, "Civil war will happen tomorrow." Even that blunt uttering carried a state of perpetuality, for although full-blown civil war hasn't broken out, its impossible to confidently say it won't.
In so many ways, perpetuality has become synonymous with Lebanon, not just in the aforementioned, violent, context. Well, not really. See, Beirut was formerly known as the "Paris of the East," and has been going a long way towards reclaiming that status, despite the lurid development of Gulf cities such as Dubai and Doha.
However, going the perpetual nature of violence in Lebanon, foreign meddlers have been a constant threat. The French and Americans prior to the civil war did little other than aggravate an already strained social balance. Foreign military presence was seen as necessary post-WWII, but considering the Mediterranean nation's ridiculously complicated demographics, this was a foolhardy move that made governmental neutrality difficult. Indeed, Western troop presence could be at least partially blamed for inflaming tensions that led to the civil war. But it was countries closer to home that really caused problems for the ailing Lebanon.
See, this is a strategically placed country, close to Cyprus and Europe beyond, but also bordering both Arab and Jewish countries, Syria and Israel respectively. So when Lebanon was already being torn to pieces by Hezbollah, Maronites, Druze, etc, its neighbors irresponsibly saw fit to try and claim a stake in the country. For over a decade, Iranian Revolutionary Guards were based in Balbek, and Syrian or Israeli troops were a force in Beirut. Instead of using their power to resolve Lebanon's issues, the three countries simply made things worse, all trying to pressure their own ideology on a war-burdened country. All this achieved was to prolong a pointless war. We can see now from the latest flare-up that the war achieved nothing, other than kill scores of men, women and children. So when 16 years later, Israel has the gall to go and bomb Beirut again, it makes you wonder, does Tel Aviv have it coming? Whatever the motive, it was a terribly foolish thing to do considering the relative peace prior to the month-long conflict of summer 2006.
So comparatively, this latest upsurge was minuscule. Barely a week long. And here's the best bit. For the first time in too long, Lebanon was left to it, and an admittedly tentative resolution has been reached in 5 days. Let's just hope it wasn't took quick for Bashar, Ahmedinejad and Olmert to take notice.

The End is Nigh

2008-05-08T16:46:00.002Z

I have to say, I am genuinely surprised. Hillary - yes, I finally figured out there are two "L"s - is set to take a detour off the campaign trail, one that will ultimately lead her back to a seat in the Senate. At the moment this is only a rumor, but it would make a lot of sense. After all, Barack Obama is in pole position with over 2000 pledged delegates to his name. Momentum is going his way after a 12% overall victory on Tuesday. As far as Clinton is concerned, the freight train of the future is looking increasingly difficult to derail.
Whilst Ralph Nader has not learnt his lesson, and is still being a complete pain in the ass for the Dems, Clinton still has the opportunity to hold her head high. All she has to do is pull out before any real skirmishes with Obama develop. Who knows? Might he then graciously ask her to join him as the President's first right-hand woman? Actually, Monica Lewinsky did that, but Hillary would be the first political figure to fill that role, in a more legitimate spectrum.
Whatever happens, let's get it done before the Convention, so as to add further futility what has already carried the aura of a debacle. Once the Democrats get some positive, forward momentum, McCain will be as dead on the tracks as Clinton is now. Go back to 2007 and by political analyst will have told you that change will win the game. Even I was unsure for a few months, but let's just put it this way: these are smart guys.

Where's My Cult Hero?

2008-05-04T22:59:00.004Z

The sound of jaws dropping could have overcome a space shuttle launch after Miley Cyrus sat, "tousled, wrapped with a blanket" on the cover of Vogue magazine. See, Cyrus is Hannah Montana, a Disney Channel program aimed at elementary school children. Not only that, she is 15.
Sure, other cover-girls such as Maria Sharapova or Scarlett Johansson barely have 5 years on the Disney starlet, but as I suspect many a parent will attest to, those are 5 definitive, changing years. Gone are the days of taking the cute little kid to the park. These are the days when, so I hear, parents are fretting about just how much skin little Annie is baring to the boys tonight. I'm not really qualified to comment further on that perspective though, for I am neither a parent nor a teenage girl. If anything, I fit into the demographic that Cyrus is surely switching to: I am a teenage boy. Wow. I can even here the Jaws theme tune.
Here's the thing. The adult world is making a huge fuss over a skimpily dressed teenager. Yes, she's a rich, famous teenager, but a teenager nonetheless. If you happen to walk in on a high school party, you can bet that upwards of 50% of skin is on display. Even when drink factors in, unwanted lifeforms are an extremely rare occurrence. Too bad for us teenagers that Jamie Lynn had to go and get us a bad name. Gee, thanks, Mini-Britney.
So back to the cause of the Cyrus uproar. Whilst in Hannah Montana mode, Cyrus teaches little kiddies how to live a good, wholesome lifestyle. Parents are grateful for this popular guidance, and in some ways have themselves become hooked on Miley's magic. As Montana, she shows America's 30-40 somethings that its all going to turn out OK. So when she turns out more or less nude on the Vogue, those lingering fears that all girls -that is what Cyrus has come to represent- will eventually sway from the straight and narrow appear to have been confirmed. Never mind that Cyrus, like all teenagers, just wants to have a little rebellious fun. So ingrained has Cyrus become in pre-teen culture that anything untoward that may come her way could drastically increase the grey hair count of the USA.
By this point, you'll either have noticed my sarcastic tone or proven that might want to look into a community education course. However, there are some serious issues surrounding Miley's appearance on the cover of Vogue. Firstly, why was a 15 year old allowed to appear in a state of undress on the cover of one of America's most lewd magazines? She may just barely be a teenager, but she is supported by a phallanx of grown adults. Even if they're in it for the money, this more or less amounts to child pornography, a felony. Apparently though, it's "artsy, not skanky," according to Cyrus. Sorry there, dear, but you're wrong. I would post the *widely available* picture, but that would be in contravention of my beliefs.
Even so, the cult reliance upon Miley/Hannah for advice has got to stop. If parents are up in arms over the influence the photo will have on their offspring, this is a sure sign that things have gone a step beyond popularity. In any case, very few children live a life comparable to Cyrus, so projecting your own child's future on that of a child star seems naive. Anyway, I doubt anything will happen to her. She's ugly.

Chameleonic Cambridge

2008-05-03T23:20:00.003Z

Cambridge, England is known the world over for its medieval city center, the centerpiece of which is the legendary University of Cambridge. This leads many people to accept the theory that Cambridge is a picturesque, somewhat sleepy college town. But whilst this isn't Durham, North Carolina, it is painfully obvious that a boozy transformation occurs on weekend evenings.
Whilst England's smartest party it up in their respective JCRs and bars, the low-cut dresses with fat drooping out are all the rage on Cambridge's main drag. Just a half-mile from the world-renowned King's College Chapel, WKD bottles litter the gutter. The quality of English spoken on Regent Street has more in common with the East End than King's Parade. And that's not a bad thing.
See, Cambridge was first and foremost an agricultural town, not exactly the land of milk and honey from a fiscal point of view. However, food was always plentiful and the climate one of the most amiable in the UK. The region has been a national knowledge base since the days of Isaac Newton, and has also hosted several important religious institutions such as Ely Cathedral. Intellectual mixture is nothing new, but it is more established than ever before. Hi-tech companies have been setting up shop since the 1990s, so for a "city" of its size, Cambridge has a remarkably high proportion of tertiary sector workers. However, this has served to draw many EU citizens, such as Poles and Slovakians, to Cambridge in search of a better life. This attitude of endeavor has led to less British workers in the primary sector, but Cambridge has become ever more multi-national and multi-cultural.
Not only do Chinese and Americans affiliated with the University walk the streets, Poles, Turks and Lebanese go about their jobs as well. The result of this multi-directional development is a town of 130,000 which has just about something for everyone . Everyone one from the most simple-minded of farmhands to the theory-stretching college nerds can find their niche in Cambridge. Heck, different parts of the city even reflect this sentiment. All I know is that you can make of Cambridge what you want.

When do I start?

2008-05-01T22:41:00.004Z

Today was a beautiful day, despite the precarious thunderclouds lurking nearby. Nothing could dampen my mood, especially at 3.20 in the afternoon. Prior to that, the day had been nervy from the moment Head of Year 11, Mr Pullin, announced that Sixth Form offers would be coming around during the course of the day. Normally, Mr Pullin carries on like no tomorrow about his travels, somehow weaving them into the Grand Scheme of Things, and today was no different, as we learnt he was ditching us for a three-day golfing jaunt in Malta over the Bank Holiday weekend. From the moment I heard the word "Hills Road Offer Pack," everything else was overshadowed. Well, not everything. I still managed to remember a few dates and treaties for my history practice exam. Point is, I was just a tad apprehensive.
So when the bell rang at 3.20, I was one of the first of a hoard of people to storm the school reception to pick up our offer packs. I spotted my name. I spotted Hills Road Sixth Form College. I ripped at the envelope with all the dexterity of Edward Scissorhands. I jumped for joy. At this point, it is probably worth explaining that Hills Road has a reputation as one of England's top state-run Sixth From Colleges.
The irony is, I am faced with the longest summer vacation ever, 10 weeks of fun in the sun and yet I can't wait for September to come. Not only are my courses (Modern History, French, English and Politics) riveting, but the enrichment activities read like a catalogue of my dearest interests: Chinese, Tennis, Africa Link, Japanese, War Studies and Social Anthropology. Unfortunately, four of those are back-up choices, but in any case September can't come soon enough.
You may have gathered from my previous post that this has been something of a frustrating year, that I have felt somewhat held back, socially at least, at Melbourn Village College. Don't get me wrong, I'll miss MVC, but the brakes are coming off and I can't wait.

Open Your Eyes

2008-04-26T19:57:00.008Z

As any non-native will agree, there are blissful advantages and gross disadvantages to being from a minority group of the population, whether or not you acknowledge it. I was born in Cambridge, England, to a Dutch father and an American mother. Whilst I still haven't figured out what nationality I am 16 years down the line, I do know that I am not English, despite having lived here for 13 of the those past 16 years. However, I have been careful to keep my mouth shut when controversial topics involving my parental homelands come into play. That does not mean that I do not get jibed at due to my parentage, but I do what I can not to provoke this bigotry/ racism.

That brings me on to my next point. Thanks to Martin Luther King Jr, the West and beyond is acutely sensitive of white on black racism. There has been a campaign from the Football Association here in England to "Kick Racism out of Football." Generally speaking this effort, and other likewise movements have made black-targeted racism the bane of society. Yes, it is true, of all ethnic minorities of the post-WWII era, the Blacks, sorry, African-Americans suffered the most, but that doesn't mean nobody else suffered. To this day, Subcontinental Asians are the butt of jokes in the UK. Is this racism? Yes. Is it being actively discouraged? Not loudly enough.
But it isn't just foreign races that are feeling the heat in the UK. Everyday at school, without fail, I will face an anti-American jibe, with varying levels of intensity and thus offense. Likewise, due to connections with the Middle Kingdom, I often face tirades of verbal diarrhea with regards to China. I know its not racism, but it can be very offensive.

Unfortunately, so regularly does this occur that I have grown to grin and bear it, but the fact that racism and bigotry are so widespread and so acceptable is really shocking, considering that the UK is part of the UN, NATO and the EU, all organizations which thrive on (supposedly) international unity and tolerance.

The political noise regarding what is an annoyance for me, but a serious issue for others, is virtually zero, which for me indicates that people a) don't realise that they are spewing offensive vitriol, or b) accept it as part and parcel of "the British Experience."

I sure hope somehow its neither, as I absolutely adore the coarse nature of life in the UK, but too often people up the sandpaper gradient too far. However, I realise that, as ever, the great majority share my abhorrence of racism. Credit to all but the putrid minority for wiping out one facet to racism, but there's still a lot of work to be done.

Just open your eyes, and speak out. It works.

Déjà Vu

2008-04-23T17:04:00.002Z

A mere 7 years ago, George W. Bush was sitting in a south Florida classroom. A secret service aid broke the news of the 9/11 attacks. The clock had begun, and by zero-hour, he had started not one, but two wars in the Islamic world.
Fast forward to April 2008. Dubya has but another 8 months in office, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan show no signs of abating and yet change is supposedly in the air.
In one corner, we have Hilary Clinton, wife of Bill. You know, the only President to admit to "doing it" in the Oval Office. The resolute wife she is, Hilary stuck by her man in his hour of need, later becoming Senator for New York.
Facing the Nightmare from New York is Barack "the Baller" Obama. The 6-1 Flyin' Hawaiian, a relatively fresh-faced kid who cut his teeth in South-side Chicago after waltzing through Jakarta is my choice for...The 2008 Democratic Nomination.
For me, what puts Obama front and center is his determination to promote peaceful resolution to America's overseas problems. Whilst Clinton stoically denied the possibility of talking with the world's less...savory political leaders, Obama expressed willingness to just talk with Iran and North Korea. The offspring of a Kansan and a Kenyan, Obama is used to handling potentially contentious multicultural issues. Evidently Hilary the humbug does not share that experience...
In a recent Q&A sesh in Philadelphia, Clinton was quoted as saying,

"I want the Iranians to know that if I´m the president, we will attack Iran. In the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them."

As Dr Muhammad Megalomattis wrote in The American Chronicle, Clinton is just making herself look, " Irrelevant, inconsistent and utterly disastrous."
Likewise, whilst I'm just one person, I'm surprised Hilary hasn't learnt from Americas past forays into foreign conflict. Let me summarize: The results have been downright ugly, and if Clinton gains the nomination, we have more downright ugly results to look forward to.

I've got Mental Issues

2008-04-20T09:01:00.001Z

No, this does not mean I'm about to start spending time in the Learning Support department at school. All it means is that you don't want to get on my bad side on the tennis court.
As with most individual sports, a strong "mental game" is a key to success in the tennis world. Even if you've got the forehand of Roger Federer, the backhand of Richard Gasquet and the serve of Andy Roddick, if you have a flimsy mental game, you're not going anywhere fast.
You may be wondering why I'm writing this. Here's why: today, in my usual Sunday morning battle with my dad, I found myself up 6-2, 4-1. Things were going great. I broke daddio to love and was steaming towards the finish line. Serving to go up 5-1, I managed to hit 3 double faults and a net cord. Then 4 more net cords. I was reeling. It was now 4-3, and my frustration could be seen by looking at the stylish white streaks running down my racket head. I lost one more game to make it 4-4, but then managed to crawl back ahead to 5-4. I even broke to match point, but alas I ended up going down 7-5 and tripling the expletive count. It was 12:30 and a lot of english homework was sitting on my desk, so the game was called. The final score: 11-9 to me, but I was on the verge of tears. I hadn't even lost, but I was upset.
That's the thing about tennis. When you hit an emotional high, its impossible, or virtually impossible to hit a shot out. When you sink to the valley floor, the opposite scenario prevails. It's a frustrating sport, as Andy Roddick summarized well: "even on championship, you're not playing to win, you're playing not to lose."
A-Rod's right. The easiest way to win is just to loop everything to the back of the court. But its not satisfying to win that way. Its satisfying as hell to win with deft cross-court backhands, blistering down-the-line forehands or pinpoint aces, but it just so happens that those are tough shots to hit consistently over at least 2 sets, so when things don't go your way, its easy to get down on yourself. Pointless, but easy. And that's a fault I share with many of my tennis-playing brethren.

Trouble in Paradise...or not

2008-04-17T21:40:00.003Z

Vancouver, the most livable city in North America according to the Guinness Book of World Records, is also the bank robbery capital of the continent, according to a Police press release. Still, the titular analogy doesn't really fit my tack for this post. I highly doubt anyone would have referred to GM Place and the Vancouver Canucks as paradise. Nonetheless, there is trouble.
People were expecting the last remnants of the pre-lockout Canucks to become history this offseason, but instead the man who led the Canucks out of the lockout has seen his head roll. General Manager is"unemployed for the first time in 20 years."
The general consensus is that Nonis will go down favorably in the history books for the Luongo deal alone, but as Tony Gallagher said, that deal basically fell into his lap. However, Nonis did bring the solid drafting that was lacking during the Brian Burke era. Still, Nonis must use some incredible hand cream for his trigger finger is really never itchy. No one will attack him for maintaining his deep prospect pool, but other than the Luongo deal, no proven players came Vancouver's way during Nonis's reign from 2005-2008. Yes, the team is rock solid on defense, and goaltending is outstanding, but fearlessness will be required starting July1st. The Canucks have around $2o million in capspace to fill at least 5 roster spots. This is an opportunity the team has to make the most of, for the Canuckss are almost at the point of being a legit cup contender. A successful offseason should move them up those extra notches.
The '08 draft is also said to one of the deepest ever. Current caretaker GM Steve Tambellini is known for his astute judgment of prospects, so a permanent promotion for him may not be a bad idea, particularly if the opportunity to draft rugged centerman Kyle Beach comes along. His acquisition would go a long way to beefing up a team regarded as too small and too soft. They say leave the pros to their work, so I'll refrain from further armchair GMing, but since the hockey sense of the Aquilini family is, as of yet, questionable, I will suggest a resolution.
Pry Jim Nill, another astute draft mind and pair him with Tambellini as co-GMs, stockpiling some amazing managerial talent. Then slot in Captain Canuck, Trevor Linden, as assistant GM as he learns more about the executive side of the NHL. Tambellini knows the organization inside out, Linden knows the CBA inside out and Nill knows drafting inside out. What more could you want? As Nonis keeps insisting even after losing his job, the Vancouver Canucks are a but a few pieces away from a deep playoff run. Let's just hope the new guy(s) can unearth those missing cogs.

Laughable

2008-04-13T19:41:00.002Z

Boy, when global warming or a tsunami gets to Dubai...

Guiding Light

2008-04-13T14:12:00.002Z

As an American citizen living in the United Kingdom, I have been the victim of my fair share of anti-American jibes. Prior to that awful day back in November 2000, I was able to seek solace in the fact that there was nothing really fundamentally wrong with my homeland. But then George W. Bush stepped into the Oval Office. People screamed “how can the world’s powerful country be ruled by an idiot?” Try as I might, I could not summon an answer. Similarly, when John Kerry was ousted from the White House race in 2004, people more or less laughed, “How can the world’s most powerful country elect an idiot to the Presidency, twice?” Even making remarks about Tony “brown-nose” Blair did little more than land me in hot water.

But now I am glad to announce that the dark ages are over. America has found a guiding light out of this mess. No, not Vietnam vet John McCain, who once said, with a straight face, that he was willing to keep US troops in Iraq for another century in order to get the job done.

And sorry, I’m also not talking about Hilary Clinton, who basically rose through the ranks due to her marital status and has wavered of Iraq for the last 5 years.

Nope, I’m talking about Barack Obama. For starters, he is the only Presidential candidate whose name is not recognized by Microsoft Word. Now that, boys and girls, epitomises change right there.

On a more serious level, the United States, a country where 44% of the population is non-white, has waited 232 years to elect a non-white leader. For the first time, the front runner is black. If Obama is elected, America would be uplifted in the knowledge that racial boundaries had been bowled over. This would be a success for ethnic minorities all over the world, safe in the knowledge that power is not reliant on numbers. In a sense of the word, I can identify with the ethnic oppression many minorities deal with on a day to day basis. No, I’ve never been physically beaten or intimidated due to my mixed blood, but I have been jibed on a regular basis, something which will never become bearable.

That is why a multi-ethnic president is needed: so that the rest of the world can just maybe consider re-evaluating their stance concerning the US of A.

Such is the magnitude of Barack Obama’s international potential that we could be seeing a non-military solution to the Iraq problem by 2013, the end of Obama’s potential first term. This is not just more political hot air: Obama is the only candidate so far that has said he would be willing to talk to leaders from “The Other Side,” people such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Kim Jong-Il. This shows an exemplary commitment to world peace. Whilst that may not seem particularly relevant in Chorpus Christi, Texas, or Montgomery, Alabama but to a teenager living overseas, international harmony is of the utmost importance.

But Obama is not a one trick pony. In a March 2007 Washington Post opinion column, Journalist Eugene Robinson characterized him as “the personification of both-and,” a messenger who rejects “either-or” political choices, and could “move the nation beyond the “Culture Wars”” of the 1960s. To some, this may sound like flip-flopping, but for a potential President to come out and say that he’ll work with people to the benefit of the greater good says a lot about his commitment to national progression, and so not only could he brighten America’s overseas image, he may be the key to reviving the deathly ill dollar.

People may say Obama lacks in experience but the kind of promise emanating from Barack Obama is established at birth. I am not a religious person, but I know I will be praying on November 4^th 2008 is the beginning of a brighter era for America. Never before has the country been in such a rut, but at the same time never have there been such momentous prospects of renewal. This is just too good an opportunity to miss.

Journalistic Breakdown

2008-04-10T16:23:00.002Z

As an aspiring journalist, I know that everything should be written from a balanced point of view, accommodating both sides of the argument. I don't like it, but it is a rule to live by. But in the realm of Western media, it appears this mantra is just plain theory, not taken seriously. Case in point: the Olympic Torch protests. Since early March, angry torrents have been unleashed at the Middle Kingdom, squarely placing the blame for the uprisings centered around Lhasa on the CCCP. Never mind that no independent casualty counts have been published, the press has been attacking Beijing with ruthless abandon.
Never mind that the whole purpose of the Olympiad is international unification and pacifism. Too often, the Games have been used a platform for political noisemaking, and the consequences of this are routinely ugly. This doesn't change my perspective on the situation in Tibet, peaceful mediation is still necessary, but as if proving my earlier point, if the Games hadn't been used as a political forum, none of this would have come about.
Now people are moaning about the steadfastness of the blue tracksuited- Torch Guards. If people are going to try and physically extinguish the torch, what choice do they have but to be heavy-handed. Note that nobody says a thing about the equally heavy-handed procedures used by the Gendarmerie and Met Police used to disperse protesters. Until the protests are fairly examined from both standpoints, the protests will seem flawed. Never mind that most of the protesters don't know Jiang Zemin from Wen Jiabo, they just get a kick out of making noise.
But the real reason behind the Western badmouthing of China? They are scared sh**less.

Cleaning in Progress

2008-04-09T06:38:00.001Z

Cleaning in progress: that is what signs at Helsinki’s Vantaa airport should read. Sure, from a physical perspective, the terminal is as clean as a Nordic gutter.[1] No, it is the schedule and transfer procedure that needs examining. See, today we flew from Shanghai’s Pudong Airport to Helsinki. Our flight got in 20 minutes late, so we knew that we were facing a tight connection. Imagine the sigh-cum-curse that rose from our group upon arriving at the connections area when we were greeted by 500 sweaty travellers scrumming around a collection of metal detectors. That’s right. We missed our flight thanks to a completely redundant security check. Even requesting that the flight be held at the gate yielded no effect: apparently Finnair values reputation above profit margin, to the extent that our flight left 17 passengers hanging when it left 10 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time.

This would be not such a malady if Vantaa airport was slightly better-equipped at security points. The average age of the staff could not have exceeded 25 and this lack of experience shone through brighter than the Olympic torch. Let’s just put it this way: my laptop, removed from its bag, had to be scanned twice.

However, things took an upswing when we huddled around the transfer desk at gate level: miraculously, there were 17 spare seats on the 19:30 departure to Heathrow. We were getting out tonight, and with €17 meal tickets to boot. Several hours and a duty-free café binge later, we were on the runway. Like the final chapter of a book that meanders on with no real direction, this annoying episode of what was otherwise a memorable trip had come to a close.

Yet one point of confusion remained. Finnair’s modus operandi is obviously to provide a gateway between Asia and Europe, to such an extent that the connections queue was longer than the immigration line. So if even 100 people face missed flights on a daily basis, that is €700,000 in replacement tickets Finnair has to fork out per month, equating to at least €8,400,000 in lost profit per annum. I’m no economist, but in a business as precarious as the airline industry, you’d want to clean up your act to avoid chucking that kind of money down the drain.

It’s a shame that the ground staff are so incompetent, for the onboard experience is exemplary. Even on the aging MD-11s, seats are spacious and portable entertainment devices are available free of charge. The new A340s are again spacious, and offer the latest technology as far as inflight entertainment is concerned. The intra-European fleet, whilst not fancy, is extremely comfortable. But the best bit: the coffee is fantastic. Basically, Finnair have a great foundation for success. They just need to clean up their act a tad.

[1] Which is to say, spotless and shiny.

A Tribute

2008-04-09T06:37:00.000Z

You maybe remember that prior to arriving in Beijing, I expressed some scepticisms regarding the integrity of CITS,

China

’s state-run tourist service. Well, I’m glad to confess my mistake: my experience of the company was nothing short of terrific. Thanks in large part to our guide, Cao Haisheng, a.k.a Peter, the tour was as seamless as a hockey puck. Unflappable even in the madness of Beijing train station, he truly was the shining light that led us from city to city.

Whilst money does change hands, it usually does so above board in the form of tips. “Connections” in that regard don’t operate on a financial basis but instead it’s more of “you do this for me, I do this for you.” And boy did “they” do stuff for us. From the top-rate hotels to the delectable food, I have very few complaints, and those few are the result of “us” doing stuff for “them” – the silk mill restaurant in Suzhou springs to mind.

The quality of the local guides was also great. Combining professionalism, humour and good yarns added to the value of the tour. Quick-thinking also proved a valuable asset. Literally whatever the weather, Peter and co. made sure we were warm, safe and dry, making sure nothing detracted from our experience of a fantastic country.

For that, here’s to you, Peter and co.

Summing it up from Shanghai

2008-04-09T06:35:00.000Z

Alas, the fun and games of the past two weeks have wound down to a close. I remember thinking back in England, that 14 days was a long time to basically go on holiday. Well if that was the case, it sure went awfully fast. So fast that is hasn’t quite sunken in that I spent a fortnight in China, even as I fly towards Helsinki and London beyond.

Passing through culturally rich cities such as Xi’an, Luoyang and Taiyuan to financially rich ones such as Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai, there were bound to be limitless highlights, and that remained true. From the Great Wall near Beijing to the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an to Shanghai’s Bund, there was something for everyone, and most people enjoyed everything.

To pick out one highlight for myself would be incredibly difficult, but I loved meeting up with my old classmates in Nanjing and Shanghai. After 7 days basically seeing China solely from a tourist’s perspective, it was refreshing to get down to street-level, as it were, and explore some of my old stomping grounds with friends I had not been able to see in 18 months. It was also interesting to see how Nanjing had changed, and thankfully my sentimental hole-in-the-walls were still around. For instance, Gold and Silver, across the alley from the Nanjing University Foreign Student Dormitory, was thriving like never before, despite the atrocious grub served up from behind a tinted glass screen.

It was also an “experience” to travel on China’s older sleeper trains. Whilst the 11-hour jaunt from Beijing through the loess areas to Taiyuan was a mundane, if bumpy affair, the 13-hour hellride from Pingyao to Xi’an was one for the history books. After arriving at Pingyao Station by golf cart, we made our way to the platform shivering thanks to the 2-degree weather. Relief emanated from the group as the train drew in. And then we stepped into our compartment. And started shivering once more. The thermometer read 2 degrees Celsius and despite 4 people occupying an area of 10m2, the temperature scarcely rose through the night. Hardly a comfortable experience, but it there was an amusing mystique to it, although that may have been the effect of the whiskey.

Still, that was but a minor flaw in what was otherwise a fantastic trip. The hotels were generally fantastic, but the Zhengzhou Crowne Plaza and Salvo Hotel Shanghai exceed description. The food also was excellent. In short, it was a lifestyle I would have little trouble adjusting to.

It was a relief to hear that China’s civilian wealth is still on the up, but press censorship is still a problem, as I experienced last night watching Channel News Asia’s coverage of the Tibet protests along the torch route. Whenever anything vaguely pro-Tibetan came up, the screen went black. Likewise, when I was surfing the BBC News website, I loaded up an article concerning the Tibet unrest and seconds later, “the server timed out.”

Both ethnic suppression and journalistic censorship have to abate before China is accepted as a fully modern country. Given that the CCCP is hell-bent on modernisation, it is difficult to understand this reluctance. Whilst it would be difficult to do so without Tibet and Xinjiang running riot, it is necessary in order for China to save face. Whilst pride will be hurt, it is worth sacrificing Tibet and Xinjiang, or at least granting them greater autonomy in order for China to build up its flagging international respect.

Still, from the relative safety of a foreigner’s perspective, China is a wonderful place. Living is both cheaper and more fun than Western Europe or North America. Cultural relics and modern wonders are both innumerable. Whilst there is trouble in paradise at present, once it recedes China will be as popular ever, and I will be up there saying “I told you so.”

Hemming and Hawing from Hangzhou

2008-04-06T14:57:00.001Z

This weekend has seen one of China’s many national holidays come and go. Hangzhou, in East China’s Zhejiang province, has seen Ace Study Tours come and go. Now wait a minute. Surely this means that the tour passed through Hangzhou during one of the busiest periods of the year? Yes, that is correct. Still, Hangzhou is a fun little town of 6 million, sitting on the banks of the picturesque West Lake. But unfortunately for us, most of Shanghai and Ningbo shared that experience with us.

The normally peaceful West Lake resembled Nanjing Road in that you simply had to walk where everyone else was going. For that reason, Hangzhou was one of China’s warmest cities over the past weekend.

True, the tea plantations offered a respite from the chaos of the downtown area, but it took an hour and a half to cover the 20km to that area. Still, it was fascinating to see firsthand how tea was farmed and produced. To the ecologists amongst you, yes, crop rotation is practiced here. To think that all the tea the world drinks is handpicked is just incredible. Everything from PG Tips on up, all handpicked.

I can see that Hangzhou is a fantastic weekend retreat for the hardworking Shanghainese, with the peaceful lakeside setting and temperate climate, and now that it can be reached in just 78 minutes from China’s economic hub, it could even be a bedroom suburb to Shanghai’s elite business force. Imagine that: a bedroom suburb of 6 million. Only in China.

Still, I wasn’t really looking to escape the buzzing madness that is Shanghai – I was looking to embrace it and whilst I will get to that over the next two days, which is hardly sufficient time to rekindle my love for the city. Whilst Hangzhou was a pretty town in the mold of Xiamen or Yangzhou, the thing I crave with China is the energy it has to offer, and pretty much universally speaking, quaint little towns are not known for that atmosphere, even in an up-and-up country like China.

Seeing a Pattern?

2008-04-06T14:54:00.000Z

Our beloved Vancouver Canucks have been eliminated from the playoffs, and look set to finish 9th overall in the Western Conference for the 2nd time since the resolution of the 2004-2005 lockout.
Whilst the team that bowed out in front of GM Place April 3rd had a vastly different identity from their counterparts of 2 years past, the end result was the same. The worrying thing is that the roster that couldn’t get it done this year is virtually identical to that which set club records 12 months ago. From that perspective, we should be glad that $12 million of salary will be pliable starting July 1st. Captain Markus Naslund’s hefty $6 million contract will be one of those to go, so there will be ample room for improvement. Still, GM Dave Nonis’s game plan should remain intact. There are still at least 2 years left of Roberto Luongo, meaning world-class goaltending will not leave Vancouver too soon. The same problem that confronted Nonis last season remains: the Canucks have 5 legitimate top six forwards. Yet this time, he has both plentiful financial belt room and a well-stocked farm to pick from. Young guns such as Ryan Shannon and Mason Raymond have both shown promise playing top-six minutes, and upper-level forwards such as Ryan Malone and Kristian Huselius have expired contracts that will be difficult to renew. In short, it is hard to imagine this nagging problem not being resolved.
Then take a look at Vancouver’s defence. Names such as Mattias Ohlund, Sami Salo and Alex Edler are epitomise dependable European defence. Then you’ve got Kevin Bieksa and Luc Bourdon, both feisty, strong, young defenseman. Lukas Krajicek skates with the grace of Scott Niedermayer and has a brilliant offensive mind. Don’t forget Willie Mitchell, one of the game’s premier defensive defenseman, responsible for almost as many saves as Roberto Luongo. Aaron Miller is veteran reliability, and Nathan McIver has some of the quickest fists out there. I think by now you’ll see my point. The Canucks have 9 defensemen capable of making most team’s top six.
Playing behind them is Roberto Luongo, thought by many to be the best goalie in the game today, and Curtis Sanford is a very capable back-up. Standing on the bench is Jack Adams Trophy winner, Alain Vigneault. If only that hole had been filled, the Canucks would have been headed deep into the post-season.
At least, that very simplistic analysis is forgoing one crucial bit of common sense: it is very difficult to do much if your team never fields a fully healthy line-up. Not one defenseman escaped the injury bug, and at times only one top-six player was available. When Kevin Bieksa and Sami Salo suffered horrific injuries in an early November tilt against Nashville, many Canuckleheads forecasted a falling sky. Whilst it appeared they were wrong for a long time, I feel like I’m stuck between a thundercloud and a brick wall right about now.

Shock to System, of Sorts

2008-04-06T14:53:00.000Z

The psyche of Johan has endured a rollercoaster ride over the past few days. Tuesday and Wednesday were spent living it up in Nanjing, his adopted hometown. His beloved Vancouver Canucks romped to a 6-2 win over the Calgary Flames to stay in the playoff race.

It would be fit to say things haven’t been going his way since leaving Nanjing Railway Station bleary-eyed and morose. The Canucks dropped a 2-1 decision to the Edmonton Oilers to fall out of playoff contention, and Johan also realised that he likely won’t be able to return to the Middle Kingdom for at least two years. In short Hangzhou, as far as he is concerned, has yet to bear fruit.

But luckily our man is a firm believer in the saying, “tomorrow is always a better day.” Heck, it seems like this may work out. See, Johan is a big fan of boating, and a fair portion of Saturday will be spent touring Hangzhou’s famed West Lake.

Followed by that will be a visit to the renowned tea plantations surrounding the city, which his uncle visited a fortnight previously. Whilst it is hard to soften the trauma endured by the poor boy, he acknowledged his privileged upbringing in a recent interview. As such, thinks could be a whole lot worse than they are.

An Old Adage Rings True

2008-04-03T09:09:00.000Z

Yesterday, I spent a very enjoyable day at Nanjing International School, shooting the breeze and the basketball with many of my friends whom I met during my year at the school between 2005-2006. The student body is roughly 40% Koreans and 20% German, but also with large American, Swedish and Dutch populations. Unfortunately, not all of these nationalities are as at peace with their existence in China. Typically, the Asian kids have a better understanding of Chinese culture and thus feel comfortable in this setting. Of course, there are exceptions, but this unfortunate stereotype in generally secure.
The upsetting thing is the lack of respect some of my fellow westerners show for the Chinese, always going on and on: “they can’t do this, they can’t do that, they can’t do goddamned anything.”
Exactly why they perceive this Chinese inferiority remains an enigma to me. Perhaps this is because Chinese are generally poorer than westerners, but even if this is the case, it is a very poor basis for such a generalisation.
But this where my “old adage” comes in:

YOU DON’T KNOW HOW GOOD YOU HAVE IT UNTIL IT’S GONE

I myself was another naïve westerner when I returned to China for the first time in nearly a decade in August 2005. For those first 6 months, we lived on a compound dominated by western businessmen and their families. The problem with these compounds is that they are usually located far from the downtown core of Nanjing, so while their hubbies boss around their Chinese minions, the expat WAGs grow bored in their luxurious houses and so usually do one of two things: stir up trouble in any forum possible, or blame their lack of initiative on “those stupid Chinese.” Never mind that said wife’s IQ may be the square root of that of their Chinese acquaintances. So more often that not, this disrespect for the Chinese will get passed down to the couple’s children, leading to unpleasant manners towards the locals.
Whilst I was, upon occasion, guilty of this same annoyance, my dad kept me real, as he loves China so much he could probably get a passport. Whereas some of my friend’s parents might encourage this behaviour, my father abhorred it and also let me know it. But all this was really a teething problem.
We returned home to England for a month in the deep winter of 2006, and within days I was yearning to return to Nanjing. When we finally did, in early February, we lived in a small apartment in downtown Nanjing. The apartment itself was a far cry from the one on the city fringe, but the location exponentially made up for it. And this time, I would not make the same mistake. I was determined to enjoy it. Now, sitting on the bullet train from Nanjing to Suzhou, I already miss the city deeply and can’t wait to return, hopefully for more than a couple of days. I have to say, the Hopkins Nanjing Center program looks ever more attractive.
I can only hope my friends experience the same epiphany, for once they embrace Nanjing, they won’t be able to let go.

Nice Start to the Day

2008-04-03T09:05:00.000Z

I have been looking forward to le premier d’avril for a while now, for today is the day that I return to Nanjing, where I spent a year from summer ’05 to summer ‘06. During that time, I made many great friends at Nanjing International School, and got to know China from a viewpoint more in parallel with that of the Chinese. So its fair to say I was pretty excited when I woke up in Zhengzhou today, even if that was a 5:10 am alarm call.
We arrived at Zhengzhou Airport with plenty of time – 6:45 for an 8:05 departure. All was going swimmingly until we fell into line at the security checkpoint. 3 new tickets later, and we were threw, but the reasoning behind those 3 tickets is absurd. One member of our group was registered on her passport by her maiden name, whereas visa and ticket said otherwise. That got sorted pretty promptly, but considering that she had only once experienced problems with it before, it should have been a non-issue.
Then my father enters the fray. We are both formally named Johan, but his ticket head H van de Ven, so the security girl made sure to make an issue out of that. Upon changing his ticket, she saw that both our tickets read J van de Ven, so nagged us about that, before daddykins advising her in a rather forceful manner: “ta shi wo de haiza!,” or “that’s my son!!!”
So after that kafuffle, we made it through to the gate, minus a bottle of mouthwash, a bottle of water and a bottle of soap. Unfortunately, there was some sort of disturbance at our gate, but we managed to make it onto the plance at the Changsha/ Guangzhou gate.
Now I sit here on a very pleasant flight to Nanjing, relaxing with my packed lunch. This part of the day wasn’t a whole lot of fun, but there’s always some give and take, and I’m sure the rest of the day will be dreamy.

Busy, Busier, Busiest

2008-03-31T13:33:00.001Z

In the first week of this tour, we have visited an innumerable variety of amazing sights, including the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Terracotta Warriors. But even if we had just visited today’s highlights in that timeframe, it would have been a week well spent.
For today, we visited the Longmen Grottoes, half an hour out of Luoyang, as well as the White Horse Temple, another hour or so down the road. But the best was still to come: the afternoon was spent above Dengfeng, at the Shaolin Temple. See what I mean? A busy kind of day if ever there was one.
Still, it was interesting to see that the huge swath of nothingness that lay between Luoyang and Longmen develop into a fledgling college town in just 2.5 years.
The Grottoes themselves were as impressive as ever. If you’re unsure as to their colossal nature refer to yesterday’s post. To carve 15000 Buddha figurines into a cliff is impressive enough, but for that to have occurred 1300 years ago is verging on ridiculous. Then to see that some are as tall as 15 meters, the line is crossed and you’re looking at a damn near miracle. To put it mildly, it was quite a site.
The drive from the Grottoes to the White Horse Temple was…interesting, to the point of almost colliding with three buses overtaking consecutively. Not that I didn’t like it. If anything, it felt good to really be back in China as I know and love it.
The Temple itself was surprisingly pleasant. There was a gentle ambiance, embodying my admittedly limited understanding Buddhism. The pleasant smell of incense, sold by the kilogram in nearby shops, added to the atmosphere. Unfortunately, we were only able to spend half an hour there due to time constraints, but the experience was still deeply relaxing.
In a pattern that we have become very used to, we arrived at Shaolin at 2pm for a “late lunch,” within the same compound as one of the Wushu academies. Immediately after a decidedly average meal, we took in a performance at the adjoining academy. The feats of strength, both mental and physical, that were displayed by the students were just as awesome as my previous visit to the area. An interesting nugget of knowledge: the crack of the whip that echoes through the arena is caused not by any physical impact. It is the sound of the tip breaking the sound barrier.
Following the performance, we made quick stops at the Pagoda Forest and Shaolin Temple, where we saw firsthand what a Buddhist ceremony actually consists of. I now sit here trying to type of Zhengzhou’s most bumpy highway, but that is a minor annoyance that has no hope of offsetting what has really been an incredible day.

Flickr Update: As you probably will have noticed, I haven’t uploaded any photos recently, which is due to low bandwidth at hotels here in China, so I’ll try and put some more up when I get back to England.

See ya, Shaanxi

2008-03-30T15:28:00.001Z

Train travel has become a recurring theme here at Meldreth Musings over the past week or so. Today, I sit here on a double-decker train from Xi’an, in Shaanxi province to Luoyang, in neighbouring Henan province, home to approximately 100 million people, as well as China’s highest AIDS rate. So a word from the wise: don’t develop serious health problems or engage in promiscuous sex in this area.
Funnily enough, according to the Lonely Planet, the cause of the endemic AIDS problem is due to a government initiative. Back in the 1980s, China’s blood reserves were precariously low. Cash incentives and tax rebates were handed out to those willing to give blood. Henan is host to a large, poor rural population, so farmers and peasants pumped out blood by the gallon. Unfortunately, these were the days before careful medical sanitization, so all it took was one unassuming AIDS sufferer to contaminate the province’s blood supplies. The problem was publicly admitted discovered when the blood had already made its way into the region’s medical channels, and so the story goes.
But it ain’t all bad. What, from the sounds of things so far sounds like a large African country really isn’t. Between Luoyang and Zhengzhou, the provincial capital, two magnificent “cultural relics” can be found. First off, there are the Longmen Grottoes, where dozens of Buddha statues of increasing size sit carved into the cliffs towering over the Yellow River.
Several hours down the road lays the town of Dengfeng, built around a few tourist hotels and restaurants. Doesn’t sound like much, I know, but there is obviously a cause of this tourist infrastructure, and it lays a few kilometres up the mountain: the Shaolin Monastery, where Wushu Kung Fu was developed. Down the single-track road from the Monastery is the Pagoda Forest, another dazzling testament to the engineering might of pre-Industrial China. Dozens of pagodas, big and small sit nestled among a hillside forest.
Near downtown Dengfeng, amongst the ever-popular Wushu academies lays the Shaolin Pagoda. After an ascent of several hundred steps, stunning views of the major sights of the area can be afforded. Of course, that is providing conditions are neither foggy nor Chinese polluted. But if those conditions prevail, then a mystical nature beholds the setting.
It probably sounds like this won’t be my first time in Henan, but boy, am I ever looking forward, after several slightly dull days in Shaanxi and Shanxi.

Terracotta

2008-03-29T14:54:00.000Z

Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi province is renowned for its link to the ancient Chinese ruler of Qin Shi Huang, whose tomb lays some 30km from the city center. As mentioned in my previous post, Xi’an has seen an economic revival due to the tourist industry, and so predictably, the area surrounding the Terracotta Warriors may well be the world’s first resort town composed entirely of concrete. Restaurants, hotels and shops are plentiful, all playing off the fame of the Terracotta centrepiece.
This was my second visit to Xi’an and the Warriors, and the tourist infrastructure has developed greatly in the 30 months since I first visited. True, the Brother-sponsored tickets are still around en masse, but restaurants and shops are everywhere, as well as a smattering of hostels and hotels.
The aura within the public pit complex is different. The clientele back then was slightly more purist, with archaeological aficionados here and there. Now, there are swarms of people wherever you look, from all economic thresholds and all nations.
But the awe had long disappeared from my imagination. “All” I saw was essentially a toy army. A simplistic way of looking at things, but accurate nonetheless. A terracotta state of mind, you might say.
Perhaps this would not be the case if I was able to rid myself of the nagging doubts of the story of the Warriors. For such ornate figures to still be intact 2200 years after their alleged construction. Sure, I believe they were constructed, but the fabrication theory seeps in once the story of the Warriors is examined. It is alleged that thousands of peasants burst into Qin’s tomb and smashed many of the warriors. But the Terracotta Army was “discovered” in 1978, two years after the end of the Cultural Revolution. Mao destroyed many ancient artefacts, and for a site of such magnitude to be passed over by the ferocious Red Guards. It just seems a bit stretched.
This may be the result of a somewhat terracotta state of mind, but terracotta evidence must be established before that state of mind is shattered.

Its Gonna be a Frosty Night

2008-03-29T11:39:00.000Z

Forgive me if this appears to be a rant, but it appears that due to “Chinese State Rail Regulations,” the T2525 service from Taiyuan to Xi’an is not allowed to provide heat to its passengers. Translation: the heating is broken, deal with it. Still, in a way, the train – dirty duvets and all – balances out our terrific hotel back in Pingyao.
The International Financier’s Club/ Yunjincheng Hotel was one to be remembered. It was worth every atom of the five stars awarded to it by the Pingyao Tourist Commission Board. Set in the style of a 18th Century courtyard experience, complete with heated stone mattresses. Doesn’t sound very comfortable, but let’s put it this way: I haven’t slept better since arriving in China.
The town of Pingyao itself was fascinating. One of China’s few remaining walled cities, the ambience of pre-technology age China is fascinating. To think that somehow it managed to circumvent Mao’s hardline Communist policies serves to supplement an already unique atmosphere.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Taiyuan. Once home to Oberlin College’s China link, the city of 3 million marked our arrival point in Shanxi province, but was more or less one grey dray, dotted by a few tourist hotels and a surprising amount of Russian-era architecture. True, the Jinci Temple was pleasant, and the toddlers’ rollerskating lessons adorable, the city itself doesn’t have a huge amount going for it.
Perhaps the Olympic cycling event, which is be held in the Shanxi capital, will bring with it a wave of economic prosperity, but that is a perhaps at best. Sure, all cities in China are economically booming, but nearby infrastructure has to improve.
An excellent case in point is Xi’an, several hundred kilometres further east. Originally an industrial town, it has blossomed wonderfully, with a per-head tourism industry amongst the most developed in China. There are facilities tailored to anyone’s tastes, A-list celebs and up. True, I wasn’t overly wowed by the Terracotta Army, but I know others who have raved about it.
Still, let’s hope frostbite doesn’t set in and spoil things! From Shanxi to Shaanxi here we come.

Of Beijing, Blogging and Trains

2008-03-27T23:40:00.000Z

“Beijing, China: Teenage Naivety strikes again (AP)”

Headlines really should have been screaming that, for whatever reason, I formerly maintained the elusion that blogs from mainstream hosts such as Blogspot or Wordpress would be readily accessible in China. Instead, the Great Firewall of China steps in and a generic message reading “server taking too long to respond” appears on your screen. Paradoxically, Blogger.com is accessible, so I can update my blog, as will be obvious to you. I just can’t read it. Actually that’s not strictly true. Through the usage of a site called Proxy4china.com, even the notorious Naïve Teen can read all that the blogosphere has to offer.
Despite the lunacy of the internet control office, Beijing is a wonderful city. Whilst tourists generally come to see relatively ancient, ornate sites such as the Forbidden City or Temple of Heaven, the Russian-inspired structures on Tiananmen Square, such as the Great Hall of the People, are some of the captivating buildings in the capital. Not for their beauty, which is yet to be discovered, but more for the way they make Beijing feel such more impressive, in the linguistic sense of the word.
This is not a knock on the genuinely beautiful buildings immediately to the north of the Square, but the Communist-era structures have so much more historical relevance that from the perspective of a history lover, those are the sites to see.
Recently, many of my blog posts have been written aboard some form of transport or another and this trend continues for I lie aboard the K601 train to Taiyuan, jittering and jerking here or there. My only previous experience of China’s sleeper trains was on a school trip to Xi’an when I was living in Nanjing a few years ago. On the –Nanjing-Zhengzhou leg of the trip, we were lucky enough to have a reasonably private hard sleeper compartment (think a soft sleeper compartment without a door and topped with two extra bunks). On the way back, all the way from Xi’an, we were delayed 2 hours on the tracks in a much more open carriage. Not much fun.
But today, I have opened a new chapter in my experience of train travel. I am travelling soft-sleeper, posh class. Key differences? There are doors, and there is considerably more space. That’s about it. On the newer Z trains, things are meant to on a scale more comparable to the Oriental Express, so if I get the chance to check them out, believe me when I say I will.
As we speed towards the greener areas of Central China, I will miss Beijing, the fervent metropolis that is, but on the other hand, I do like my lungs aren’t full of sand. Photos to follow tomorrow, and no, none of my lungs.

Zaijian

Jottings from Beijing

2008-03-25T10:48:00.000Z

After 36 hours in and around the capital, the double-bladed China Syndrome is starting to strike and hard. In one corner, we have the dusty, smoky air that swamps many urban areas of China. In the other corner, we have the progressive attitudes and cheap street vendors that first got me hooked on the Middle Kingdom.

So far, the latter is holding strong, and being above the smog line on the Great Wall near Mutianyu certainly helped things. Speaking of which, the Wall certainly has been tidies up in anticipation of the tourist boom, and is night and day from the crumbling bricks I climbed 12 years ago when living in Beijing for two months.

There is a line of street vendors along the approach to the chairlift up the hillside to the Wall itself. That’s right chairlift, Japanese-made and all. There is also an Italian coffeehouse adjacent to the car park.

Of course, the sightlines from the Wall are amazing, although Mr Ciao, are tour guide, informed us that this was the clearest day he had seen in a long time. Nevertheless, it was fascinating gazing towards the huge, steep, rocky mountains stretching as far the Mongolian Steppes. To think that this was built in a time predating the technology is truly amazing, a task more arduous even than that encountered by the Egyptian pyramid labourers many centuries before. Still, despite all the history behind the Wall, the most enjoyable aspect of the visit was the toboggan ride to the base of the hill. Despite a Mao-jacket behooded girl shrieking “no pikature,” it was an exhilarating way to cap off a great day, once we figured out that are legs had to be stretched out to build up speed.

So far, the trip has been amazing, and visiting a craft factory was also a lot of fun. In a few minutes, we’re leaving for a Peking Duck restaurant, and the tomorrow we visit Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and Summer Palace before taking the overnight train to Taiyuan, meaning I’ll be away from the internet for about 24 hours. Check back then for more exciting musings, and hopefully I’ll also have had a chance to update my Flickr by then.

The Epitome of China

2008-03-24T12:41:00.004Z

More to follow once I've caught up on some sleep. In the meantime, here's the link to my Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10023454@N00/

CITS = ?

2008-03-24T07:36:00.001Z

Well really, CITS stands for China International Tourist Service, and is essentially the PRC’s government tourist agency. In a country like China, having a government-affiliated tour guide could prove to be useful, for securing train tickets and getting problems sorted out.

But this could also complicate things. In every city, the CITS bureau has a list of endorsed souvenir shops. The tour guides receive a commission on all purchases made by their group there, and thus naturally will shepherd their tourists into such shops. This may not sound too bad, and it probably isn’t, but from my experience, one of the defining things in China is being able to wander down a little backstreet and stumble upon fantastic little flea markets where Cultural Revolution era Little Red Books can still be had.

Usually, these little knooks and crannies are not officially endorsed, meaning that you are less likely to be led towards them. Whilst in places such as Fuzimiao in Nanjing or YuYuan in Shanghai, flea markets are neigh unavoidable; they can be hard to find in other cities.

Still, this is not to say that all CITS guides are so heavily inclined to build up commission. For all I know, Mr Ciao will reveal these little curios to us, and most likely it is simply luck of the draw, and this rant isn’t even aimed at the tour guides themselves. This policy just seems a little on the archaic side of things.

And the cause of this indignation? Well this is my first real tour, and to date I have explored China without restriction in the most basic sense of the word. Whilst I’m looking forward to seeing from a slightly different slant, I’m praying those few degress don’t affect my impression of what is without a doubt one of my favourite countries on this planet.

With about 40 minutes to go before landing in Beijing, we’ll see.

UPDATE 14:44 Chinese Time: If my first impressions are correct, then Mr Ciao will help, not hinder us.

Mornin’ from Mongolia

2008-03-24T07:35:00.002Z

Well 40,000 feet above Mongolia on a Boeing MD-11, to be exact. And on that subject, wow is Mongolia ever dry. One moment, we are cruising above the snow-coated mountain ranges near Irkutsk, the next, we are steadily flying over the Mongolian steppes. The difference is truly amazing. Granted, however, I’m not entirely sure that I didn’t drift off during that moment.

Good news though. So far, I have escaped the…ahem…consequences of Finnair catering. Imagine arriving at your favourite breakfast bar only to be told that today was Omelette, Pancake and Baked Beans. If you can imagine that, then you have a pretty good impression of the ~~_horror~~ delight I experienced after two hours of surprisingly pleasant sleep.

In many ways, Finnair reminds me of Air China. Both airlines are sharp and efficient on short haul routes, with sparkly new aircraft. On long haul however, the fleet age goes up and subsequently the quality goes down. Whereas on Air China, my seat had a constant desire to recline, AY51 brought with it a wonky table. Nothing life-altering, but it didn’t give the greatest first impression.

Still, having a flight that is at most 2/3rds full means we can stretch out considerably, something that is a definite rarity on most “mainstream” carriers such as British Airways or American Airlines. And it gets better. Poor Finnair obviously feels shame at this slightly deficient portion of the international fleet, as there are PSPs and Personal DVD Players to save face until the MD-11s are fully phased out by 2010.

Here I should mention that from this year, Finnair are bringing in quite a number of Airbus A340s as part of their Europeanisation policy. The A340 is known as one of the quietist and most fuel-efficient long-haul jets, so this dedication to environmental awareness is again impressive.

Solely from a passenger’s perspective, the A340 will also be a treat, with powerports for every seat, inflight e-mail, on-demand TV and the ability to hear yourself think. Not a bad deal if you ask me.

Oh and Mongolia looks cool.

Mmm-Kay

2008-03-24T07:35:00.001Z

So I was just reading the latest edition of The Hockey News. There is a special feature rankings the 31 General Managers of the National Hockey League. Yes, Dallas have two.

For some reason, Brian Burke’s prodigal son, Dave Nonis of the Vancouver Canucks. THN’s reasoning:

- Nonis has shown a post-lockout inability to sign that elusive forward to fill out the top six. Fair enough, but this season players such as Ryan Shannon, Ryan Kesler, Mason Raymond, Alex Burrows have shown that sought-after offensive touch. Combine that with the return of Brendan Morrison from a long injury layoff and the acquisition from Washington of Matt Pettinger for washed-out fan favourite Matt Cooke, and the Canucks legitimately claim to have 9 offensive forwards. There are 5 forwards averaging 0.25 goals per game, equivalent to 20 tallies over the 82 game campaign: Brendan Morrison, Daniel Sedin, Markus Naslund, Mason Raymond and Ryan Kesler.

- THN also ranted at Nonis for refusing to forfeit Alex Edler and Ryan Kesler for Brad Richards, then of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Richards won the Conn Smythe trophy in 2003/2004, but since then has done little, and before being acquired by Dallas had a league-worst -17 and was on pace for approximately 60 points, and was also burdened with an $8 millon salary. Conversely, Alex Edler was named to the Western Conference YoungStars roster, is considered to be a dark horse candidate for the Calder Trophy, and is also projected to become a franchise defenceman. Likewise, Ryan Kesler is considered by many to win the Frank J Selke trophy, possibly as early as this year. Individually, those players are hardly worth trading for Richards, so it conversely to what The Hockey News thinks, it would be insane to trade Edler and Kesler for Brad Richards.

This isn’t even Eastern bias, this is just plain stupidity.

Harping From Helsinki

2008-03-24T07:34:00.000Z

Well, if I’m honest, I’m not actually in the Finnish capital, I’m about 4km over the Ural Mountains, but Harping from Helsinki just sounds better. My overall impressions of the trip so far?

- They really ought to tidy up security at Heathrow Terminal 1. The atmosphere was very temporary, due mainly to straggling wires here and there.

- Helsinki is dark. I was expecting a suave, European capital. Granted, it is difficult to get an accurate impression from the air, but it definitely had a dull, dark ambience to it. To summarise in one onomatopoeic word, Brrrr...

Still, as I sit here aboard Finnair 51 to Beijing, I am filled with a pleasant apprehension as to what awaits us in the Middle Kingdom. One of the participants in this tour last visited China 30 years ago and is nervously anticipating what will to her look like a different country. Whilst I left only 18 months ago, that same fervour has beset me. For instance, have modern… no wait, sorry, space age trains been instituted on the Central China routes yet? To what extent has old Xianlin University and College Town been developed? Most importantly, will this still be the China I knew and loved?

I’m not sure I’ll know it, but I feel confident that I’ll love it, albeit from the sheltered perspective of a prope tourist. Still, for me the funniest thing about China is that is impossible to talk about it in the present tense, for when you do, you’re already out of date.

However, I don’t know what tense, let alone what language I’ll be talking in Monday evening after over 40 sleepless hours. Should be fun.

"I want in!"

2008-03-22T15:54:00.003Z

Despite the recent unrest in Tibet and other parts of Western China, our tour is still going ahead, and I'll be blogging from various locations around China for the next few weeks, providing Blogger is not blocked by the firewall to end all firewalls.

Below is my itinerary:

Day 1: Helsinki Airport (lets pray for free wifi)
Day 2: Beijing
Day 3: Beijing, Train
Day 4: Taiyuan and Pingyao
Day 5: Pingyao, Train
Day 6: Xi'an
Day 7: Xi'an, Train, Luoyang
Day 8: Luoyang, Longmen Grottoes, Shaolin, Zhengzhou
Day 9: Zhengzhou, Plane, Nanjing
Day 10: Nanjing
Day 11: Nanjing, Train, Suzhou
Day 12: Suzhou, Bus, Hangzhou
Day 12: Hangzhou
Day 13: Hangzhou, Shanghai
Day 14: Shanghai
Day 15: Shanghai, Helsinki, London

Don't get your hopes up, as I probably won't have time/ means to blog every single day, but do check back every now and then for photos and that little thing that makes the world go around, musings.

Warning: Tread Carefully!

2008-03-14T23:20:00.003Z

Since the dawn of modern diplomacy, domestic silence has surrounded contentious issues involving China. This trend wanders on after exiled Tibetans rallied and protested in the streets of Lhasa.
Their anger at China's staging of the Olympic Games this summer was apparently no match for local military forces, as two of the protesters lay dead in the parade streets surrounding Potala Palace and Jokhang Square. Predictably, organizations such as Radio Free Asia, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International were all up in arms over the turbulent incident, seemingly throwing caution to the wind regarding their purportedly pacifistic rooting.
Still, several thousand miles to the East, it was work as usual in Beijing as preparations hit full throttle in the run-up to the Olympics. Not a word of the Tibetan unrest is spoken amongst the marching band practicing on Tiananmen Square. Whilst gales of unrest sweep Lhasa, barely a breeze of notice is detectable over Beijing. Such a paradox is only possible in China, a country where, bizarrely, rampant capitalism, Communist doctrine and censured media all go happily, hand in hand.
However, Beijing understands that negative press is only going to sour the Middle Kingdom's shiny status as international dish of the day. Whilst the West screams for deliverance of freedom of speech legislation, China cowers behind the world's largest media firewall. But just why does the world's most powerful nation feel so vulnerable? All thats for certain, is that its another unnerving paradox that China could do without.
Ironically, though, the PRC is home to many bloggers, webmasters, so long and so forth, but if the Politburo was to officially condone the practice of citizen media, then much material would be lost. So on some level, it is a lose-lose situation for China's bloggers.
So where does that leave Tibet? Well, in short, Xizang, as the region is known in Chinese will be still be bound by high unemployment and isolation from the main currency flows of the Eastern seaboard. In that respect, it is difficult to understand what exactly the protesters were protesting. True, China should not impose its will on Tibet, but independence will hardly help matters. Its not as though there is money or diplomatic support in place to facilitate a transformation (see Kosova), so essentially Tibet is acting like a whiney little brother, wanting what it can't have and shifting blame on what is its essentially its big brother. And, as my little bro can attest to, that's a move that can come back to bite you. Hard.

Asking for Trouble

2008-03-09T20:57:00.004Z

In the UK, common sense and logic has it that you just don't accept a ride in a private vehicle from a stranger. At times, this may seem like an over the top piece of parental advice, but is usually regarded as a sound tactic. Overseas, however, we lose this common sense for some reason.

Case in point: Scarlet Keeling, a Devon teenager living in India with her family, accepted a lift home from a stranger and wound up dead on a beach. Goa, India, where Keeling lived with her mother and siblings, is no London or Liverpool, but as a city of 1.5 million, similar precautions should be taken there as you might expect in the UK. However, as I can attest to, exotic countries can nullify one's sense of judgment. For example, when I was living in Nanjing, China, I thought nothing of flagging down a black cab. Well not nothing. I thought they were a cheaper alternative to licensed taxis. Granted I am a 16 year old male and Keeling was a 15 year old female, but the start of the sequence was the same. Whilst I usually traveled with several of my equally male friends, none of us were experts on the local road map and so could easily have been led into uncomfortable situations. Nothing untoward ever happened, but looking back, I was probably a bit foolish.

As the Keeling case proves though, foolish, naive decisions can bare consequences that are deadly serious. Unfortunately, Scarlet's problems were compounded as her mother and siblings were visiting another area of India at the time. The bells of the McCann case of last May are ringing whole-heartedly in my ears. Gary and Kate McCann left their 3 children, all under the age of 4, alone in a holiday apartment whilst boozing it up with friends. Fiona McKowen, Scarlet's mother freely admitted that her daughter had been dating a 25 year-old. In adulthood, a 10 year difference is not unheard of, but at that age, it is pedophilia. Pedophilia which the mother appears to have condoned. Whilst teenagers making naive choices is the global norm, parents need to be responsible in a foreign environments and avoid being lulled into the false sense of security that so often floats over foreign holiday hotspots. Otherwise fun in the sun will no longer be such a lethal tourist trap.

Changing of the Guard

2008-03-04T22:59:00.002Z

In recent years, Arsenal have been an indomitable force on their travels to Milan's San Siro stadium. In 2003, they rebounded from a 3-0 home defeat courtesy of Obafemi Martins and Internazionale to win 5-1 in Italy. Now they have the second scalp to complete their Milanese footballing collection.
The Gunners dominated the Rossoneri for huge swaths of the 1st half, but were unfortunate to return to the dressing room without recording a tally, after enigmatic midfielder Cesc Fabregas pounded the bar from the edge of the area. Likewise, Hleb was unfortunate to be booked for diving after being clearly taken down just inside the penalty area.
The second half picked up largely from where the first half ended - with lots of hat if Arsenal continued to press but fail to score, then Milan would bite them and bite them hard. So, as if answering the pleas emanating from Islington and beyond, Fabregas came up with the goods, beating 6-7 Australian Zeljko Kalac to the bottom-right from 30 yards out. The always fervent atmosphere of the San Siro became ever the more poignant, with the Gooner faithful singing the famous "1-Nil to the Arsenal."
Yet that jingle soon became outdated, as substitute Theo Walcott broke down the right-hand wing, skipping past the challenge of Khaka Khaladze to thread a pass along the 6-yard line to Emmanuel Adebayor who, in thumping an emphatic finish into the roof of the net, broke his Champions League duck.
The youthful Arsenal had done away with the reigning European Champions, but, strange though it may sound, it was so much more than that. The Gunners had struggled of late, being run off the field against Man Utd in the FA Cup and struggling to a draw for the second successive week, not to mention Eduardo leaving the field in 3 pieces against Birmingham City.
2 years ago, Arsenal went desperately close against Barcelona in the Champions League Final. But on 21st May, could Arsenal make history in Moscow?

Plain Smart or Plain Lucky?

2008-03-02T23:12:00.004Z

Much to the bane of Canucks Nation, Dave Nonis has filled the bottom 9 forward spots with "pluggers and grinders." Hardly eloquent vocabulary, and when the Canucks face off against the NHL's more talented offensive sides, the boys in blue and green will find themselves in hot water. But thankfully Gary Bettman arranged the schedule so each team played 32 times a year within its own division, and none is as gritty as the Northwest. See, the last 9 games of the regular season are against divisional rivals, and with 3 points separating 1st from 4th, the battle to make the playoffs could legitimately go down to the wire.
And this is where the genius/ luck of the Canucks management core shines through. Never do our loathed pluggers get up for a game more than versus rugged divisional rivals such as the Calgary Flames or Edmonton Oilers. And with 9 North American grinders leading the way, the Canucks stand to destabilize the calm that has swept over St. Paul Minnesota.
Its no surprise that the Canucks' two best games this season have come over divisional rivals. Namely 6-2 against the Wild, and 4-2 versus the Oilers. Both teams challenged the Canucks physically, but in both cases, Vancouver answered three-way, with fists, shoulders and pucks to the twine. A winning combination right there, and if that slot machine gets lucky over the stretch drive, the Canucks will be well-set for the playoffs, because thankfully pretty hockey doesn't win Cups. Grinding hockey does, and hopefully Vancouver will be the next beneficiary of that philosophy. Boy will that ever make Dave Nonis look smart!

Time to face the facts!

2008-03-02T22:27:00.002Z

I, more than most, find it difficult to listen when Naslund and the Sedins are described as "soft Euros." Previously, this was because I didn't think they were soft, and because I consider Euro, as a Euro, to be a derogatory term. After having to close my eyes for most of Sunday's pathetic encounter with the Chicago IceHogs/ Blackhawks, my pain derived from the former abated. When Henrik and Daniel managed to get the puck within 10m of Lalime's net, they were usually on their knees. Naslund? Was he really dressed for that game? Looking at the stat sheet, you wouldn't think so.
So, as the title indicates, the time has come to face the facts. Whilst the Canucks would be best served by effectively calling in the season, nobody in Vancouver, apart from the contingent of Albertan fans would be happy with that. So with a cattle prod getting ever closer to his backside, Alain Vigneault has to rally the troops. There is a delicate balance calling out your players and creating a locker room rift. But right now, with the playoffs advancing fast, Viggy has to ignore that fault line. When $13 million worth of hockey talent doesn't net a goal in 4 games, AV needs a big red phone to the Vancouver Sun and the Province. Somehow, he has to light that fire in the bellies of Pinky and the Brain, because right now they sure are looking more like the Sedin Sisters. So if the Canucks manage to turn it around after the apocalyptic scenes at the United Center, then Vancouver will have Ed Willes and Brad Ziemer to thank.
Indeed, thus far Vigneault has walked the potentially volcanic ridge that is the Canucks locker room with finesse. If he can continue to do so, he stays. If not, he's out of GM Place faster than he was out of Centre Bell.

5 Minutes of Fame for Yours Truly!

2008-02-29T23:12:00.002Z

So about a month ago, I was contacted by a freelance journalist with the Vancouver Canucks. After googling him, I decided to go ahead with the story, the target of which was "Canucks fans in strange places," or something of that jist. So 3 weeks and some sporadic e-mailing later, I find myself on the Canucks website, sitting between an article on Prostejov, Czech. and the furor that is the NHL Trade Deadline.

Enjoy!!!

A diamond in the rough

Derek Jory

Feb 22, 2008, 5:05 PM EST

In Cambridge, England, soccer and rugby are the sports of choice and they have been for quite some time. That’s not about to change anytime soon, but if Johan van de Ven had his way, hockey would reign supreme throughout the country.

Vancouver Canucks hockey, that is.

A diamond in the rough if ever there was one, van de Ven is a die-hard Canucks fan who prefers sticks and ice to cleats and mud. This makes him a rarity in his hometown and an easy target at school.

“I do face scorn from classmates who think of hockey as a ‘soft’ sport, despite my attempts to persuade them otherwise,” said the 16-year-old, who is currently in grade 11.

Living in England and liking hockey is a bit uncommon, but certainly not unheard of as the NHL’s two regular season games that were played there this past September were a rousing success. Becoming a fan of the sport and the Canucks during the 2004-05 lockout season is a tad unusual, however.

Originally a fan of the Colorado Avalanche and/or Detroit Red Wings, van de Ven had a Canucks epiphany one morning during the lockout that change his alliance forever.

“I watched a program called Transworld Sport, which had a feature on the lockout, including a segment talking about the three Canucks playing for Modo Hockey, the Sedins and Naslund.

“So for the rest of that season, I was to be found praying that the NHLPA and the owners could reach an agreement, but even though that season was lost, my passion for the Canucks was more alive than ever.”

A fan of everything from the players to the logo, van de Ven became entrenched in the world of the Canucks from that season on, so much so that NHL 2002 became his favourite video-game. His favourite opponent? That would be his twin brother, a fan of the Los Angeles Kings.

“His allegiance to the Kings stems from Los Angeles being our mom's hometown, and he is forever giving me grief over the Canucks miss on Anze Kopitar in the ‘05 draft. All I have to do is remind him of Jeff ‘the Barbarian’ Cowan and he goes quiet pretty quick.”

Despite the 14-hour time difference between England and Vancouver, van de Ven has managed to keep pretty good tabs on the Canucks over the last few years thanks to the Internet. Highlights, stats and stories galore have helped him become enormously educated in all things Canucks, even though he hasn’t watched a game for some time.

“In a way, the past few seasons have been almost like a soap opera, with so many tremendous highs and lows that it almost seems scripted, and this turbulence is again a captivating factor. Of course, I also like the cosmopolitan nature of the team, and the strong European presence on the top few lines is an attraction, considering my status as part-Euro (English, Dutch, and American nationalities).

“Nonis's system of youth cultivation is also impressive, considering the money-hungry nature of most sports, and this is already reaping rewards, in the shape of Kesler, Edler, Raymond, Bourdon, etc.”

When van de Ven isn’t keeping pace with the Canucks, he follows the Peterborough Phantoms, his favourite English Premier Ice Hockey League team. The local squad helps fill his hockey appetite between Vancouver games.

“That league still houses several NHL draftees, and Latvian Olympic goal scorer Maris Ziedins. So whilst fan population is not huge, most are extremely knowledgeable - I once overheard a conversation about Pascal Leclaire after he had just been called up to the Blue Jackets.”

van de Ven now waits on pins and needles with other Canucks fans from around the world to see how strong of a push Vancouver can make towards the playoffs. He hopes Naslund and the Sedins will lead the Canucks to glory, but if not, he’ll make sure they at least beat the Kings in NHL 2002.

http://canucks.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=354459&page=NewsPage&service=page