Battleship Reason

Imagine Venice – the city of lovers, of culture, of beauty and of mystery. You sip champagne in your gondola while an ever charming Italian gondolier sings a pleasant little tune as you move slowly down the Grand Canal, which is almost empty. He deposits you at your chic little boutique hotel that is still fashionably dilapidated to give it a sense of time. You offer to pay him, but he refuses and smiles, making sheeps’ eyes at you and saying in badly accented English: “No no signore! You lady and you, this my gift to you!”

And now surface to reality. Venice is beautiful, for about ten seconds. If you do not get a concussion from all the tourist swinging their brand new DSLR’s with 2 meter lenses around, then you are likely to die of starvation because of the incredibly inflated prices at Piazza San Marco. There is probably no point in getting off your boat really – sooner or later you will be ankle-deep in water. Oh, and yes, seeing how Venice lacks what we would traditionally call a sewage system, you will probably be skipping through the water trying to avoid all the squishy land mines. Oh, and that gondolier? Yes, imagine how romantic it is to be shifted through tiny little (albeit pretty) channels with dozens of gondolas in front of you and to the back. Dozens, if not hundreds, of like-minded couples and families trying to gain some semblance of romanticism, while your gondoliers shout to each other about Maria and how good she was last night. Oh, and the singing? No, best to leave La Donna E Mobile to the professionals. The final bill for a half an hour gondola ride will probably account for about thirty percent of your entire trip’s budget. Yay for Venice!

That having been said, the city does have its charms. One of them, at least for me, a man, has just taken form of Venice’s first female gondolier. This breaks over nine centuries of male dominance in this particular profession. The test for a license itself is apparently purposefully gruelling in order to discourage women from applying for positions – yet twenty three year old Giorgia Boscolo has managed to do just that. She is apparently much more at ease handling long poles than shopping and latest gossip. Favourite activity? Rowing, not spas. You have to admire a woman like that. Set aside the whole male-female divide for a second, and imagine the situation.

Gondoliers are one of Venice’s best known features. Venice without gondoliers is like New York without its yellow taxis. Now imagine how much courage it takes for a woman to challenge an institution that is not only known worldwide for its male-dominated approach, but also has that same approach rooted in over nine hundred years of practice and history. I myself find it difficult to imagine the sheer willpower necessary to tackle such a challenge, much less have the stamina to see it all the way through to the end. While I find larger than life politicians and popular figures some form of inspiration, the act of this one single woman speak volumes and volumes of the unbelievable need and desire for the human spirit to evolve and to challenge the perceived notions of this world.

Oh, and of course – again – Id much rather look at a pretty face as I glide through Venice than a gruff looking annoyed man with a tendency to curse at his fellows.

Read the full (albeit short) story here.

It is true that we all accept (even if only subconsciously) that life eventually has to come to a close. The death of a family member or a friend is something that changes us forever – their presence cannot be replaced, nor can we somehow forget the memories that now seem so bitter. The passing of a public icon on the other hand is something that usually leaves people feeling slightly sorry for the person and his family – but that is usually the extent of our emotion. Michael Jackson unfortunately, or fortunately, fits in neither category. He will certainly not leave a profound impact on our lives as a friend would, but at the same time, a world without Michael Jackson doesn’t seem the same. I suppose the simplest way I can put it is that he was loved. Although Britney Spears is quite famous, it is unlikely that her passing will be mourned by millions of people worldwide. She captivates our hearts, yet she does so only ever so briefly while we are listening to her music – or frowning over her latest exploits in personal life. MJ is… well, I’m at a loss of words to be honest. I’m not MJ’s fan, let us be frank, but I do enjoy his music, and of course, I am more than aware of all of the little scandals he has managed to involve himself in. Yet, despite that, MJ was and still is a living legend.

He was a brave individual, and I think our society did not give him enough credit for that bravery. He was one of the first black entertainers to break away from the usual perception of black entertainers – big brass bands and ‘Lordy lord!’ singing. His appearance on the pop scene, and the consequences, were similar to those of say Elvis Presley and The Beatles. He brought something new to our world, and we loved him for it. It wasn’t even the songs themselves – it was MJ as a person – the way he danced, the way he moved. He managed to take almost anything and somehow turn it magical. Some of his songs and videos were like watching Godfather choreographed with lots of flashy outfits. It sounds corny – but if anyone could pull it off, it was MJ. There are very few MJ songs that do not tickle your soul and send your feet tapping and flying off in directions. You know that you can never be cool as MJ, you can’t do the Moonwalk, but you want to be able to do it. We were at the same time jealous of how cool he was, and just admiring him with open, child-like eyes. Yes, child-like. Hm.

I’m not a bandwagon kind of person, so I don’t jump on the side of MJ’s fans, nor do I jump on the side of America’s concerned parents. In fact, I got my own little story about why MJ is the way he is. The reason for that, my dear friends, is that in the end, our security-driven society is full of bastards and bigots. I am prepared to accept that MJ’s desire to spend time with children is a reaction to a childhood he never had time to experience. What if – and bear with me on this one – the man was just deeply troubled and truly needed someone to talk to. But of course, since he is part of the showbiz, that was not allowed. Put on a fake smile MJ, cameras are watching! What if, in order to fight his own psyche, he retreated into a type of adult childhood – where he likes to be around children because they are innocent and not troubled with money, exploitation, sex, advancement, image, etc. What if he himself was a child at heart. In that case, the answer is quite simple. Children don’t think about sex. Which means that the society, of which we are all a part of, examined the man, decided he must be a dirty pervert – and consequently tried to take away what little sanity he has managed to find.

I think the society never did MJ justice. He entertained us, and he made us forget about the bad things in our lives. We could not even find it in our hearts to reciprocate the same. Even if he did have an unhealthy obsession, none of us thought we should help him along the road to recovery. No, instead we pounded on every piece of gossip we found about him. We illuminated and illustrated how different and how weird he was. We just cast him out further away from us, when we should have been thanking him for everything he has done for us.

MJ, I do hope that there is some form of heaven out there, and I hope that you’re Moonwalking your way between angels, laughing like a child.

Albanians, Cut Off, Get Set to Vote

So, Albania is set to go into an important election this Sunday. The reason for that is that the country has recently joined NATO, and is currently seeking membership with the EU. Thus, whichever party ascends to power will have some heavy international burdens to bear.

I’ve had the privilege of travelling through Albania briefly when I was younger, and have spoken to many Albanians living in Macedonia during my many trips there. The impression all of this has left me with is that Albanians themselves consider their biggest problem to be a rather antiquated view of the world and of themselves. Younger generations of Albanians seem keen to embrace western social ideas and in turn shed most of their traditional values. They welcome freedom of expression, universal suffrage and free access to information. Naturally, there is also a sub-set that welcomes western consumerism for the apparent glitz and glamour that it brings, but that was to be expected in a nation that has only recently discovered the concept of elite and luxury. In essence then, young Albanians are prepared to invite the west into Albania in order to improve their individual lives. Yet, are they ready for such an endeavour? Albania’s history is rich and long, but its last fifty years can best be described as radical and isolationist.

Under Enver Hoxha (although nominally a Stalinist, I would rather call him a Maoist), the country suffered greatly, and with the fall of communism, did not adapt well to changing circumstances. As a result, throughout most of the 1990s, Albania was isolationist at best, to the point of coming close to a civil war in 1997. Without the necessary knowledge of international protocols, it is now finding itself in a world that is perhaps moving too fast for Albania’s liking. A brief survey in Albania might show that most people consider globalisation to be an uncomfortable skin disease (yet, there is no evidence to suggest that this might not also happen in western nations). Albania also stands out as the only truly Muslim nation in the Balkans. Bosnia and Herzegovina has a significant Muslim percentage, but they are certainly a great deal more liberal than their Albanian counterparts. In Albania, hijab is a rule, not a suggestion. Certainly, changes have been made since the fall of communism, but true emancipation is still well beyond the political horizon. Sadly, this means that Albania’s relations with its immediate neighbors are strained as well, particularly due to religious intolerance that plagued the Balkans in the 1990s and continues to do so in certain areas. In essence, Albania is an overseas investor’s nightmare – politically unstable, economically unsound, and with deep societal divides, both within the country and with its immediate neighbors.

So the question is – can Albania overcome its inherent problems and become a successful European nation? The answer – as always – is that time will tell. But that’s the problem, isn’t it? In many ways, Albania does not have the luxury of time – in this fast-paced, always moving world, it must be able to vault over all its internal problems, land with its international political feet on the ground, and run through capitalism and liberal democracy to catch up to its neighbours and the rest of Europe. Even in the Balkans, home to countries with severe setbacks because of decades of political bickering, economic mismanagement and social unrest, Albania still stands out as perhaps the worst-off in many regards.

So perhaps the answer would be a time machine? Go back in history and change Albania’s course? This is not a complicated project as it appears to people. The best time machine known to man is that of a history book in elementary education. A political assassination does not always need to take shape of a bullet. Russia’s destruction of the cult of Stalin went a long way to changing Russians’ perspectives of their own nation and of themselves. Rewrite your books, and you have changed the history of your people, if not history itself. Sad, but true.

Europe Looks to Africa for Solar Power

If you’ve taken the time to read the full article, I congratulate you. If not, I’ll give you a brief summary. Europe is hoping to create the world’s largest CSP (concentrating solar plant) in Northern Africa, and then transport the energy to Europe using high-voltage cables. If this project succeeds, then full fifteen percent of Europe’s energy will come from clean renewable sources. The project is not without opposition however – many European and African commentators have noted that this is an extension of Europe’s imperialistic tendencies – exploiting Africa’s resources in order to benefit Europe’s nations. Others have also noted that this would simply switch Europe’s dependency from Arab-owned oil towards African-owned solar power.

While the two issues mentioned above are valid concerns, I believe that the fruition of the project would bring about more benefit than harm. For example, those who argue that this would be another form of exploitation are potentially correct. The way to address this would be to ensure that the technical labour, as well as technical maintenance, and eventually management, is drawn from native population that is educated to such a standard that it would be capable of completely staffing one such facility. If anything, this creates a pool of skills that is transferrable to new generations born into this population – something that will ensure that a steady supply of highly skilled labour (both blue and white collar) provides a solid economic base on which the country’s taxpaying practices may reside. Looking at short-term benefits on the other hand, to put it quite simply – jobs are created. When jobs are created (an in particular where salaries come from overseas), money is fuelled into the economy, which means the government has more taxpayers, and can consequently invest more money into economic revitalisation projects. Eventually this would create a stable situation that would potentially lessen some of the high immigration rates seen in North African countries. In particular, I am referring to the high influx of Moroccans into France, and the racial tension that has arisen as a result. Most of the Moroccans in France would not see further reasons to stay if Morocco was seen to have developed an economy capable of supporting not only the basic necessities of life, but also minor luxuries.

I also do not understand why is Europe’s dependence on Africa viewed as such a negative thing. Why not be dependent? We share a history (even though at times it is a negative one), and geographical proximity makes Africa a natural ally and trading market. In an age where North Africa is dependent upon Europe for aid, trade, tourists, and suchlike, it would not necessarily be a negative thing to have reciprocated dependency. If anything, it might stabilize the situation in African countries, particularly if European stakeholders have a direct interest in the assets of those countries. It could also usher into a new era, whereby North Africa might be considered so European that accession to the European Union would not be out of the question.

And of course, after that – the rest of the world.

I don’t know whether it’s just my biased perception – but it seems to me that as of recently we have seen an increase in freedom-related issues. Whether it’s illegal downloading, or the usual clamouring for freedom of expression – the issue has burst onto the main stage yet again. What worries me however is that many people don’t quite understand what freedom actually means.

In my humble opinion, freedom is the ability to take responsibility for the consequences of your actions. If we look back in history, spoken and written words meant a great deal. Honour, although in certain cases a truly flawed concept, curbed people into minding what they said. You didn’t go around insulting people unless you truly wanted to be skewered with a rapier or shot in the chest. People understood that although you were free to do whatever you wished, others might not react kindly to your actions.

It seems to me that we have lost the appreciation of true freedom here in the west. For the past fifty or so years, most humans in the west have lived more or less comfortably – with the majority of their basic needs taken care of. Our governments are largely liberal – we may speak of them in any manner that we wish to, provided we do not cause harm to others in doing so. Contrast this with China, where information of the Tiananmen Square Massacre is still tightly controlled, and most people are happy to be in any kind of employment. Fighting for freedom in China means that people would get to know the truth of the events and would have the liberty to pursue any career they chose to, instead of being pigeonholed into positions in China’s developing industry. Fighting for freedom in Europe, however, largely revolves around justifying the latest piece of macabre theatre where sheep-clothed actors vomit over a baby seal. When you compare it like that, it puts things into perspective, does it not?

I am all in favour of freedom, in particular freedom of expression. I wish that we had true freedom of expression here in the west. Next time a quasi-artist starves a dog to death for his ‘art’ – a group of animal rights activists could get together and perhaps strip the man naked and leave him in the middle of a city chained to Nelson’s column – their own little ‘art’ project. Or if a “journalist” digs through politicians’ bins in order to uncover more about their private lives, why not publish an official governmental pamphlet describing the private life of that particular journalist – focusing in particular on his or her infidelity to their spouse? We seem to forget that freedom is a two-way street. That is, why, I truly dislike some of the freedom activists – people who nominally fight for freedom, but in truth are just using this to justify their actions to the society. On the other hand, I’m an active member of Amnesty International, and I support activities which increase the awareness of the importance of freedom in countries where freedom is most curtailed.

We should all take heed from the good old Independence War in America. The thirteen colonies had the freedom to chart their own destiny. They chose to do so – and paid the price in blood. That is true freedom.

P.S. For those of you who want to understand more about freedom, here’s two links that will highlight what I mean.
Google UK search for Tiananmen.
Google China search for Tiananmen.

[edit]
Furthermore, a nice comparison of maps.google and ditu.google – in particular highlighting cases of map censorship.