Friday, January 14, 2011
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Images from the North Country
They've got the annoying masthead watermarked over the middle of each photo, but you can get a pretty good feel for the North Country from the photo archive of the Watertown Daily Times.
It only goes back to August 2006, so you can't see the work of Peter Barber, who worked for the Times when I lived there. My parents joked that he was the family photographer since at one point or another everyone ended up in the paper for some reason. Luckily not for being part of the crime news notes (yet).
Here's an award-winning photo by Peter Barber. I love the women's sports photos from the North Country. Up there, it's only high school sports, where there is as much glamour and success among the young women as among the young men-- actually, the women's teams tend to be more successful. My old alma mater South Jeff Central has a women's varsity basketball team that wins the state championship in its division every year.
They've got the annoying masthead watermarked over the middle of each photo, but you can get a pretty good feel for the North Country from the photo archive of the Watertown Daily Times.
It only goes back to August 2006, so you can't see the work of Peter Barber, who worked for the Times when I lived there. My parents joked that he was the family photographer since at one point or another everyone ended up in the paper for some reason. Luckily not for being part of the crime news notes (yet).
Here's an award-winning photo by Peter Barber. I love the women's sports photos from the North Country. Up there, it's only high school sports, where there is as much glamour and success among the young women as among the young men-- actually, the women's teams tend to be more successful. My old alma mater South Jeff Central has a women's varsity basketball team that wins the state championship in its division every year.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Late Breaking News Alert: Cement Lawn Ornament Thief on the Loose
This is a clipping from the Watertown Daily Times, saved by my alert parents for me back at the end of October.
So, 1) what were the police doing out there at 4 a.m.? They picked her up right by the crime scene. They don't have beat cops in Watertown, so someone called the cops on her. So, my guess is she was totally drunk and made a huge racket dragging this cement statue of the Virgin Mary or whatever it was out of its bathrub or whatever it was planted in. Mr. Johnson was pretty pissed is my other guess.
2) what is FIFTH degree criminal possession of stolen property? Is this a special category for lawn ornaments?
3) I can never get enough of the specificity of the information they give. Her age, address, AND apartment number. Can't they leave a lawn ornament coveter in peace?
This is a clipping from the Watertown Daily Times, saved by my alert parents for me back at the end of October.
- Woman Accused of Having Man's Lawn Ornament
Kimberly E. Robinette, 39, of 247 High St., Apt. 47, was charged Wednesday by city police with fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property and is due to appear in City Court.
Police allege that about 4 a.m. Oct. 29, she was found possessing a cement lawn ornament belonging to David W. Johnson, 202 W. Main St. She had the item wrapped in her jacket near the Johnson residence, police said.
So, 1) what were the police doing out there at 4 a.m.? They picked her up right by the crime scene. They don't have beat cops in Watertown, so someone called the cops on her. So, my guess is she was totally drunk and made a huge racket dragging this cement statue of the Virgin Mary or whatever it was out of its bathrub or whatever it was planted in. Mr. Johnson was pretty pissed is my other guess.
2) what is FIFTH degree criminal possession of stolen property? Is this a special category for lawn ornaments?
3) I can never get enough of the specificity of the information they give. Her age, address, AND apartment number. Can't they leave a lawn ornament coveter in peace?
News from the Frozen Tundra: We're Cold, We're Hungry
From the Watertown Daily Times police blotter again:
Poor lady, I think we can call that a crime of survival.
OK, notice the time delay. He left the restaurant and an HOUR AND A HALF later the police caught up. Was there a chase? Did they take down his plates and run it by their database and just drive up to his house in the middle of the night? How bored ARE the "city" police up here?
I just want to add, after yesterday eating lunch at a local eatery a few miles down the road, Denny's is actually one of our nicer restaurants, where food is not being prepared exactly the way you would prepare it at home. Yesterday at "The Hotel Adams" (a hotel from the 1890's that has a "restaurant" in it consisting of a menu of fried food to go along with the long wrap-around bar) my father ordered a tunafish sandwich, and he got two slices of $2-a-loaf whole wheat with canned tunafish slabbed on it, cut slantwise. Nothing but the slopped on fish mush, not even a piece of lettuce. Luckily, their sandwiches are only $3.
From the Watertown Daily Times police blotter again:
Carthage Woman Accused of Stealing Two Blankets
CARTHAGE, NY - A Carthage woman was arrested Wednesday after allegedly stealing two blankets worth $17 each from Kinney Drugs on State Street.
Paula Burke, 47, of 611 State St., was charged with petit larceny and received an appearance ticket to return to village court.
Poor lady, I think we can call that a crime of survival.
Denny's Patron is Accused of Not Paying $11.91 Bill
A Watertown man was charged early Friday with skipping out on his bill at Denny's restaurant, 1142 Arsenal St.
Dana M. Zmijewski, 18, of 419 S. Massey St., was charged by city police at 1:28 a.m. with theft of services for allegedly leaving the restaurant at 11:54 p.m. Thursday without paying and $11.91 bill. He is scheduled to answer the charge in City Court.
OK, notice the time delay. He left the restaurant and an HOUR AND A HALF later the police caught up. Was there a chase? Did they take down his plates and run it by their database and just drive up to his house in the middle of the night? How bored ARE the "city" police up here?
I just want to add, after yesterday eating lunch at a local eatery a few miles down the road, Denny's is actually one of our nicer restaurants, where food is not being prepared exactly the way you would prepare it at home. Yesterday at "The Hotel Adams" (a hotel from the 1890's that has a "restaurant" in it consisting of a menu of fried food to go along with the long wrap-around bar) my father ordered a tunafish sandwich, and he got two slices of $2-a-loaf whole wheat with canned tunafish slabbed on it, cut slantwise. Nothing but the slopped on fish mush, not even a piece of lettuce. Luckily, their sandwiches are only $3.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Hm, it's closing in on the weekend, what shall we do...?
From the Watertown Daily Times, here are our options:
At least 19 different churches and fire halls in the region are hosting Bingo, including a "Bingo Marathon." Socially acceptable gambling, anyone?
One sock hop and four square dances. Surprisingly, only one line dance.
Chess, bridge, and euchre at various retirement centers, churches and Elks lodges.
Yoga is very hip-- at least four different yoga centers in the region are offering classes.
OK, here's a health activity now being offered in our one college town in the region, Potsdam:
Wow, for all two performance artists in the tri-county region! Some resident at the hospital must have gotten a grant or something.
Other weekend activities include Arthritic Aquafit, Free Skin Tumor and Lesion Detection Clinic, and several childbirth preparation classes.
Then there are two columns of listings for snowshoeing and dogsledding. BYOS, BYOD. Bring your own snowshoes, bring your own dogs.
Lastly, Boonville Senior Citizens Center is trying to drum up participants for a group trip to Alaska.
The fun never stops!
Actually I am bummed I'm leaving before the Jan. 1st "Res-ZOO-lution Run" - a 10 km snowshoe and cross-country ski across the land where the local zoo is located. There's a free pancake breakfast! And the view from up on that fold of land is really gorgeous, if it isn't winter white-out conditions.
From the Watertown Daily Times, here are our options:
At least 19 different churches and fire halls in the region are hosting Bingo, including a "Bingo Marathon." Socially acceptable gambling, anyone?
One sock hop and four square dances. Surprisingly, only one line dance.
Chess, bridge, and euchre at various retirement centers, churches and Elks lodges.
Yoga is very hip-- at least four different yoga centers in the region are offering classes.
OK, here's a health activity now being offered in our one college town in the region, Potsdam:
Free screening: For performance artists with pain related to their art, 3 to 5 p.m. the third Wednesday of the month, Canton-Potsdam Hospital.
Wow, for all two performance artists in the tri-county region! Some resident at the hospital must have gotten a grant or something.
Other weekend activities include Arthritic Aquafit, Free Skin Tumor and Lesion Detection Clinic, and several childbirth preparation classes.
Then there are two columns of listings for snowshoeing and dogsledding. BYOS, BYOD. Bring your own snowshoes, bring your own dogs.
Lastly, Boonville Senior Citizens Center is trying to drum up participants for a group trip to Alaska.
The fun never stops!
Actually I am bummed I'm leaving before the Jan. 1st "Res-ZOO-lution Run" - a 10 km snowshoe and cross-country ski across the land where the local zoo is located. There's a free pancake breakfast! And the view from up on that fold of land is really gorgeous, if it isn't winter white-out conditions.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
I'm home in Northern New York for a week, and that means...
More NORTH COUNTRY BRIEFS from the Watertown Daily Times!
In the N.Co. Briefs this morning:
Those must have been some tasty brownies.
Let me point out that the guys did not break and enter. The house was probably a) left unlocked, and b) a neighbor's house where they already are regulars. I'm also speculating they are high school buddies of the man of the house, and he got married not too long ago, and the wife is the one who called the State Police. I'm also guessing this is not the first time they have walked off with quantities of food. I can just see her eyes narrowing... "THIS time they'll PAY!"
You know, I actually once was friends with a Tony George from up that way, but he would be 35 or so now. I wonder if this was a relative of his. Wouldn't be a big surprise. He was a big stoner. Now that adds color to the picture. Tony and Royjohn (love that name) were probably REALLY STONED that they walked out of the house with a watch and a pan of brownies, ignoring the TV and stereo.
More NORTH COUNTRY BRIEFS from the Watertown Daily Times!
In the N.Co. Briefs this morning:
Pair Accused of Stealing Brownies from Home
Norfolk, NY - Two Norfolk men who allegedly took some holiday baking
were arrested by state police Sunday.
Anthony George, 23, and Royjohn L. Gurrola, 18, entered an unoccupied
Norfolk home and stole a watch and brownies, troopers said.
They were arraigned in Norfolk Town Court on second-degree burglary
charges and each was ordered held in the St. Lawrence County jail,
Canton, on $2,000 bail.
Those must have been some tasty brownies.
Let me point out that the guys did not break and enter. The house was probably a) left unlocked, and b) a neighbor's house where they already are regulars. I'm also speculating they are high school buddies of the man of the house, and he got married not too long ago, and the wife is the one who called the State Police. I'm also guessing this is not the first time they have walked off with quantities of food. I can just see her eyes narrowing... "THIS time they'll PAY!"
You know, I actually once was friends with a Tony George from up that way, but he would be 35 or so now. I wonder if this was a relative of his. Wouldn't be a big surprise. He was a big stoner. Now that adds color to the picture. Tony and Royjohn (love that name) were probably REALLY STONED that they walked out of the house with a watch and a pan of brownies, ignoring the TV and stereo.
Friday, December 22, 2006
The Golden Flower Is, Indeed, Cursed
I just saw Curse of the Golden Flower (Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia ) by famed director Yimou Zhang of Raise the Red Lantern and House of Flying Daggers fame. It features the incomparable Gong Li (or, Li Gong, by the Chinese form of Last Name First).
This was a Shakespearean parable which turned very cartoony at a certain point. The San Francisco audience I saw it with tonight all cracked up at the climax when the soap-opera-ness of the quick series of close-up reaction shots (her reaction! his reaction! her reaction to his reaction! him looking at his reaction to her reacting to his reaction to her reaction!). And then, after an exhausting and disorienting wild ride (or, for me, a refreshing holiday family romp of blood and mayhem-- I felt quite rested, with a much better mood than I went in with), we were unable to do the traditional San Francisco audience applause at the end of the opening night's first showing because-- the credits rolled to the tune of a sappy POP SONG! It was a 9th-10th century AD period piece, with no music - almost no music at all- that had us all hypnotized by sparse panicky noise and uneven breathing and clashing weapons- and the spell was wiped away by an upbeat contemporary pop song! Weird, weird bad choice. Kind of a stunningly bad choice.
The rundown:
Jesus Figure: none! Nobody was driven to their ruin and then redeemed to greater glory, nobody. A classic tragedy.
Lesbian Movie Standard: met. Two women have a conversation about something other than a man. Gong Li's Empress character has a conversation with Chen Jin's mysterious Physician's Wife character about the way she was being poisoned.
Gay Character: the Empress' eunuch, who helped foment the revolt. He only gets a brief screen appearance, but there he is.
Guilty Pleasure: the bouncing boobs in those tight push-up bodices. Even one set of boobs decorated with shiny gold butterfly adornments (watch for it in one of the early scenes where Gong Li is taking her "medicine").
One review I just read notes that this is basically a lot like Raise the Red Lantern (the rottenness of royal/ upperclass living) but with melodrama and soap opera-ness and flying martial arts scenes. I still recommend R. the R. Lantern over this or almost any movie out there, period. It is a completely awe-inspiring movie. This, not so much. But still worth the price of seeing it in a real theatre. Really, the stage setting of carved rainbow-flourite palace lattice-work walls is STUNNING. My favorite scene is the mysterious Physician's Wife spotting her - we later learn - son through the translucent rainbow flourite lattice-work, and following him at a run - so the rainbow gemstone blurs... and then suddenly it's a fight scene (and that little ninja lady can really fight!).
I just saw Curse of the Golden Flower (Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia ) by famed director Yimou Zhang of Raise the Red Lantern and House of Flying Daggers fame. It features the incomparable Gong Li (or, Li Gong, by the Chinese form of Last Name First).
This was a Shakespearean parable which turned very cartoony at a certain point. The San Francisco audience I saw it with tonight all cracked up at the climax when the soap-opera-ness of the quick series of close-up reaction shots (her reaction! his reaction! her reaction to his reaction! him looking at his reaction to her reacting to his reaction to her reaction!). And then, after an exhausting and disorienting wild ride (or, for me, a refreshing holiday family romp of blood and mayhem-- I felt quite rested, with a much better mood than I went in with), we were unable to do the traditional San Francisco audience applause at the end of the opening night's first showing because-- the credits rolled to the tune of a sappy POP SONG! It was a 9th-10th century AD period piece, with no music - almost no music at all- that had us all hypnotized by sparse panicky noise and uneven breathing and clashing weapons- and the spell was wiped away by an upbeat contemporary pop song! Weird, weird bad choice. Kind of a stunningly bad choice.
The rundown:
Jesus Figure: none! Nobody was driven to their ruin and then redeemed to greater glory, nobody. A classic tragedy.
Lesbian Movie Standard: met. Two women have a conversation about something other than a man. Gong Li's Empress character has a conversation with Chen Jin's mysterious Physician's Wife character about the way she was being poisoned.
Gay Character: the Empress' eunuch, who helped foment the revolt. He only gets a brief screen appearance, but there he is.
Guilty Pleasure: the bouncing boobs in those tight push-up bodices. Even one set of boobs decorated with shiny gold butterfly adornments (watch for it in one of the early scenes where Gong Li is taking her "medicine").
One review I just read notes that this is basically a lot like Raise the Red Lantern (the rottenness of royal/ upperclass living) but with melodrama and soap opera-ness and flying martial arts scenes. I still recommend R. the R. Lantern over this or almost any movie out there, period. It is a completely awe-inspiring movie. This, not so much. But still worth the price of seeing it in a real theatre. Really, the stage setting of carved rainbow-flourite palace lattice-work walls is STUNNING. My favorite scene is the mysterious Physician's Wife spotting her - we later learn - son through the translucent rainbow flourite lattice-work, and following him at a run - so the rainbow gemstone blurs... and then suddenly it's a fight scene (and that little ninja lady can really fight!).
Monday, November 20, 2006
Flaming Hula Hoops, Jump Ropes, and Bull Whips, Oh My
Unmata - the kick-ass dance group from San Jose - did this flaming children's toys thing at Shadow Play on Nov. 10 in Oakland.
Scroll to minute 8 for the bullwhip.
A bullwhip is a children's toy, in some parts of the world, right?
Unmata - the kick-ass dance group from San Jose - did this flaming children's toys thing at Shadow Play on Nov. 10 in Oakland.
Scroll to minute 8 for the bullwhip.
A bullwhip is a children's toy, in some parts of the world, right?
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Survived
In the medical world, if you live five years past your cancer diagnosis, then you have survived cancer.
I have today medically/statistically survived the cure of my case of Cancer of the Girlfriend. As any cancer "survivor" like me can tell you, the only cure for cancer is death. So she got cured five years ago. Her cure wasn't too easy on me. But I'm still here.
Rest in peace, K2.
In the medical world, if you live five years past your cancer diagnosis, then you have survived cancer.
I have today medically/statistically survived the cure of my case of Cancer of the Girlfriend. As any cancer "survivor" like me can tell you, the only cure for cancer is death. So she got cured five years ago. Her cure wasn't too easy on me. But I'm still here.
Rest in peace, K2.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Monday, October 02, 2006
So How Was THIS Trip to Russia?
I forgot to mention in my last post that I was writing from Novgorod, Russia, in the middle of helping my friend Tatka's daughter deal with her English homework. Those six days I tagged on at the end of my work trip to Siberia were really wonderful. I got the full immersion experience, something I don't get when I'm traveling around with colleagues and work partners who speak English. In this little vacation I went "home" to the city where I studied for a year in college, Novgorod, aka Velikii Novgorod, aka Novgorod the Great. My friends there don't even read the English alphabet, something that startles me every time. Like, typing in the password for their dial-up connection they will try to read me the keys to press, and they don't know how to say the letters. I forget that there is no reason for any of them to know this information.
I haven't put my photo albums together yet, and with my tendonitis I'm going to take my time doing it. In the meantime, here are some other peoples' photos of the Moscow metro, a place where I spent large chunks of time in my three one-day pass-throughs of that city:
English Russia: Photos Made in Moscow Subway
I love how the drunken sleeping poses remind me of the cat-owner fan site, The Silly Sleeping Pose Olympics.
I forgot to mention in my last post that I was writing from Novgorod, Russia, in the middle of helping my friend Tatka's daughter deal with her English homework. Those six days I tagged on at the end of my work trip to Siberia were really wonderful. I got the full immersion experience, something I don't get when I'm traveling around with colleagues and work partners who speak English. In this little vacation I went "home" to the city where I studied for a year in college, Novgorod, aka Velikii Novgorod, aka Novgorod the Great. My friends there don't even read the English alphabet, something that startles me every time. Like, typing in the password for their dial-up connection they will try to read me the keys to press, and they don't know how to say the letters. I forget that there is no reason for any of them to know this information.
I haven't put my photo albums together yet, and with my tendonitis I'm going to take my time doing it. In the meantime, here are some other peoples' photos of the Moscow metro, a place where I spent large chunks of time in my three one-day pass-throughs of that city:
English Russia: Photos Made in Moscow Subway
I love how the drunken sleeping poses remind me of the cat-owner fan site, The Silly Sleeping Pose Olympics.
Monday, September 25, 2006
This is What Russian Students Memorize to Learn English
Still. Even after people who know living English came here to live.
Are the birds in the box?
Yes the birds are in the box.
Now take the monkeys and give them to me, please.
Are the crocodiles on the table?
This is a 1996 textbook. I am sure there is a method to their madness. But why - why! - do the children have to memorize this?
The bear's white.
The bird's blue.
The dog's black.
The puppy's, too.
I don't even know what that last sentence means.
Still. Even after people who know living English came here to live.
Are the birds in the box?
Yes the birds are in the box.
Now take the monkeys and give them to me, please.
Are the crocodiles on the table?
This is a 1996 textbook. I am sure there is a method to their madness. But why - why! - do the children have to memorize this?
The bear's white.
The bird's blue.
The dog's black.
The puppy's, too.
I don't even know what that last sentence means.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Reduced to Syllables
It's been a while, eh? I got mentally et up by the Intro to Statistics class that I took over the summer semester-- and got an A in (shining knuckles on shirt)-- but I also have been eschewing computing outside of work because of a worker's comp claim for tendonitis... and meanwhile there is so much horror and bloodshed in the daily headlines (both in the Mid East and in Oakland) that I can't quite come up with a response. The world leaves me kind of speechless these days.
So I've been reading Jane Hirshfield's "Nine Gates: Entering the Mind of Poetry," and she recommends getting inspiration from reading word origins. Lucky me, I'm also supposed to be studying for the GRE, so I spent some time last night with my GRE vocab list and the dictionary. I'm sure you know what these mean but I would just like to list a few words that are great. To say, at least.
...That's enough of that.
It's been a while, eh? I got mentally et up by the Intro to Statistics class that I took over the summer semester-- and got an A in (shining knuckles on shirt)-- but I also have been eschewing computing outside of work because of a worker's comp claim for tendonitis... and meanwhile there is so much horror and bloodshed in the daily headlines (both in the Mid East and in Oakland) that I can't quite come up with a response. The world leaves me kind of speechless these days.
So I've been reading Jane Hirshfield's "Nine Gates: Entering the Mind of Poetry," and she recommends getting inspiration from reading word origins. Lucky me, I'm also supposed to be studying for the GRE, so I spent some time last night with my GRE vocab list and the dictionary. I'm sure you know what these mean but I would just like to list a few words that are great. To say, at least.
Vermilion
Zephyr
Peatmoss
Turf (the Russian for "peatmoss" is "torf" - and I think that is a dandy word too)
Antechamber
Troubador
Smock
Intrinsic
Snipe
Estuary
Shoehorn
Pontoon
Cessation
Soupspoon
Currycomb
Shellac
Sorrel
Muslin
Dreadnaught
Pants
...That's enough of that.
Monday, June 19, 2006
10 Days on Sakhalin
So how was Russia you ask.
Let's see, when I was last there in the fall of 2005 it wasn't much different from this time-- the oil barons getting rich, the roads are barely what you could call roads, what remains of government control over the social conditions is fading with the rapid rise in power of the oiligarchs, racism and sexism is alive and well, everyone seems to love Putin because they've swallowed that story that Russia Needs a Strong Leader to Bring Her Out of Chaos (they don't have the access to information that would help them follow the money as it piles offshore into private bank accounts instead of going into the country's infrastructure), and from what I know and have seen in Siberia and the Far East, you pretty much don't ever want to be out if you aren't straight. And while it's not as bad in the western provinces, it's still a sketchy business being out even in the capitals- Moscow and Petersburg. And please to not conduct any "gay-parade" in Moscow. But that's another story.
More specific news from this trip?
OK. In the Seoul / Incheon airport (ICN) I saw a t-shirt - one of many misspelled/ nonsense phrases in English that I saw printed on clothing -
"Heaven almost helpes those who decide jeans."
Another memorable quote-- we were examining important documents on the environmental impacts of the pipeline we were heading out to examine. L., our visiting pipeline expert from Alaska was sitting in the dark scrolling through documents for the third hour in a row and I heard her say -
"I'm not a biologist. Wetlands, shmetlands."
And then later when we were observing the improper storage of antifreeze barrels, which happen to be bright blue, D., the policy director from our org sort of mentioned as an aside -
"Blue is a good color for toxic waste."
There were some nice and strange roadsigns, too. One just had an exclamation mark on it. It was posted near the pipeline corridor. What exactly were we supposed to be alarmed about? I mean, all along the pipeline we saw alarming things, but maybe we were just generally supposed to be alarmed anyway, on account of the fact that we were in Russia and in the remote regions of a remote island whose only high-end export is underneath the source of food for most of the region (fish-rich waters), and non-risk-averse Muscovites and foreign oilies are happy to sacrifice the wellbeing of each and every person living on the island to render that slick of natural resources into piles of cash. The overwhelming overarching feeling I carried on this trip was just plain pity for that island. This is how bad it is with just two oil and gas projects underway. How is it going to be when the planned 13 (!) projects are careering along? And none of the companies sharing any pipelines. Like children who won't share toys. My pipeline! You're touching my pipeline! Stop touching my pipeline! Make him stop touching my pipeline!
One of our 5-person field team was a geomorphologist who works for the local administration. He has worked in construction in the Far East for thirty years. He says - and this is sad - that compared to Russian-run construction sites, the pipeline sites we visited were quite good. He's convinced that it would pretty much be a disaster if these pipelines were to fall under Russian control. As it is they have absentee parents in the form of Exxon and Royal Dutch Shell and their financiers in Europe and Japan. If the state monopolies step in and take control... that's extremely likely and extremely bad news for environmental controls.
It's just insane-- my back is still out from the condition of the roads. They were horrendous. Not just unpaved but slippery soupy clay-mud roads. And these are the roads in moderately bad (for them) condition, roads that wash out completely if there's a real downpour. And in a real downpour and flood conditions the badly-engineered river crossings (over 100 of them) will at some point result in pipeline damage and oil leaks. And that's when those very river crossings will be inaccessible to any and all teams who could control the leaks. It's just a guarantee of oil pollution from the pipeline. The question is only how far-reaching the catastrophe will be. Just the eastern administrative districts, or the shoreline, or the Sea of Okhotsk and the islands of Japan?
On other topics- a high AND low-light of the trip was seeing fresh bear tracks. And then hearing something heavy crashing through the woods following us. Them bears are hungry in the spring. And if they are adolescents, they are extremely disaffected. Freshly disowned by mom, wearing their bear eyeliner and listening to their bear Cure records. We discussed large hydro projects in Turkey that are destroying archeological sites. Loudly.
And on the topic of food- the french fries at Azalea (the restaurant in the back of the town banya) in Smirnykh are - just - heavenly! I've been on a junk food kick since I've been back because of those fries, I think.
The jeep broke down once (lost a steering-related bolt in a stretch of really bad road), the policy director got a brief spell of food poisoning, and the guy who was supposed to conduct the tour of the pipeline went in the hospital with internal bleeding from a ruptured ulcer the morning after we arrived (he's still there). That sums up the real trouble we had on the trip. Other than that I found that I worked hard, slept well, had few complaints about the company of my field team, and got to translate a lot of Russian.
The lowest low-light of the trip was seeing the hospital conditions where our local NGO leader was being treated when we came back from the field. Good lord it's a joke. Please do not get sick if you are in Russia. If you are Russian, that goes double. I'm sure there are lots of things they do very well and very cheaply, what with the socialized medicine and accessible education, but surgery? The surgery ward felt like a prison. There were no visitors and there was nowhere to sit when we visited. There were four men on cots in a bare room without curtains or even a place to put a vase of flowers (if they even would allow flowers, which I doubt). There was no climate control- you opened the window for air. We were harrassed for bringing our bags with us- the nurse said "this is a surgery ward-- leave your bags by the door." Like if we had brought a horrible infection with us on our bags, leaving inside on the floor by the door would save the four souls trapped in that room? Not a scrap of logic in it. And then there's the fact that the surgery ward was on the fourth floor at the back of a large sprawling building - WITH NO ELEVATORS. You better f-n be healthy before you leave, because it's a 20 minute hike in steep dirty stairwells to the front door. And because of his internal bleeding our friend was anemic, which meant that his young wife - while managing all the care of very young (1 year old) son with his own health problems - had to organize not one but TWO blood drives among their friends and family.
And what's more, is I think on the Russian scale of things, that was a pretty good hospital. Certainly the biggest, best one on the island (accessible to Russians).
The oilies probably get airlifted to Seoul.
So how was Russia you ask.
Let's see, when I was last there in the fall of 2005 it wasn't much different from this time-- the oil barons getting rich, the roads are barely what you could call roads, what remains of government control over the social conditions is fading with the rapid rise in power of the oiligarchs, racism and sexism is alive and well, everyone seems to love Putin because they've swallowed that story that Russia Needs a Strong Leader to Bring Her Out of Chaos (they don't have the access to information that would help them follow the money as it piles offshore into private bank accounts instead of going into the country's infrastructure), and from what I know and have seen in Siberia and the Far East, you pretty much don't ever want to be out if you aren't straight. And while it's not as bad in the western provinces, it's still a sketchy business being out even in the capitals- Moscow and Petersburg. And please to not conduct any "gay-parade" in Moscow. But that's another story.
More specific news from this trip?
OK. In the Seoul / Incheon airport (ICN) I saw a t-shirt - one of many misspelled/ nonsense phrases in English that I saw printed on clothing -
"Heaven almost helpes those who decide jeans."
Another memorable quote-- we were examining important documents on the environmental impacts of the pipeline we were heading out to examine. L., our visiting pipeline expert from Alaska was sitting in the dark scrolling through documents for the third hour in a row and I heard her say -
"I'm not a biologist. Wetlands, shmetlands."
And then later when we were observing the improper storage of antifreeze barrels, which happen to be bright blue, D., the policy director from our org sort of mentioned as an aside -
"Blue is a good color for toxic waste."
There were some nice and strange roadsigns, too. One just had an exclamation mark on it. It was posted near the pipeline corridor. What exactly were we supposed to be alarmed about? I mean, all along the pipeline we saw alarming things, but maybe we were just generally supposed to be alarmed anyway, on account of the fact that we were in Russia and in the remote regions of a remote island whose only high-end export is underneath the source of food for most of the region (fish-rich waters), and non-risk-averse Muscovites and foreign oilies are happy to sacrifice the wellbeing of each and every person living on the island to render that slick of natural resources into piles of cash. The overwhelming overarching feeling I carried on this trip was just plain pity for that island. This is how bad it is with just two oil and gas projects underway. How is it going to be when the planned 13 (!) projects are careering along? And none of the companies sharing any pipelines. Like children who won't share toys. My pipeline! You're touching my pipeline! Stop touching my pipeline! Make him stop touching my pipeline!
One of our 5-person field team was a geomorphologist who works for the local administration. He has worked in construction in the Far East for thirty years. He says - and this is sad - that compared to Russian-run construction sites, the pipeline sites we visited were quite good. He's convinced that it would pretty much be a disaster if these pipelines were to fall under Russian control. As it is they have absentee parents in the form of Exxon and Royal Dutch Shell and their financiers in Europe and Japan. If the state monopolies step in and take control... that's extremely likely and extremely bad news for environmental controls.
It's just insane-- my back is still out from the condition of the roads. They were horrendous. Not just unpaved but slippery soupy clay-mud roads. And these are the roads in moderately bad (for them) condition, roads that wash out completely if there's a real downpour. And in a real downpour and flood conditions the badly-engineered river crossings (over 100 of them) will at some point result in pipeline damage and oil leaks. And that's when those very river crossings will be inaccessible to any and all teams who could control the leaks. It's just a guarantee of oil pollution from the pipeline. The question is only how far-reaching the catastrophe will be. Just the eastern administrative districts, or the shoreline, or the Sea of Okhotsk and the islands of Japan?
On other topics- a high AND low-light of the trip was seeing fresh bear tracks. And then hearing something heavy crashing through the woods following us. Them bears are hungry in the spring. And if they are adolescents, they are extremely disaffected. Freshly disowned by mom, wearing their bear eyeliner and listening to their bear Cure records. We discussed large hydro projects in Turkey that are destroying archeological sites. Loudly.
And on the topic of food- the french fries at Azalea (the restaurant in the back of the town banya) in Smirnykh are - just - heavenly! I've been on a junk food kick since I've been back because of those fries, I think.
The jeep broke down once (lost a steering-related bolt in a stretch of really bad road), the policy director got a brief spell of food poisoning, and the guy who was supposed to conduct the tour of the pipeline went in the hospital with internal bleeding from a ruptured ulcer the morning after we arrived (he's still there). That sums up the real trouble we had on the trip. Other than that I found that I worked hard, slept well, had few complaints about the company of my field team, and got to translate a lot of Russian.
The lowest low-light of the trip was seeing the hospital conditions where our local NGO leader was being treated when we came back from the field. Good lord it's a joke. Please do not get sick if you are in Russia. If you are Russian, that goes double. I'm sure there are lots of things they do very well and very cheaply, what with the socialized medicine and accessible education, but surgery? The surgery ward felt like a prison. There were no visitors and there was nowhere to sit when we visited. There were four men on cots in a bare room without curtains or even a place to put a vase of flowers (if they even would allow flowers, which I doubt). There was no climate control- you opened the window for air. We were harrassed for bringing our bags with us- the nurse said "this is a surgery ward-- leave your bags by the door." Like if we had brought a horrible infection with us on our bags, leaving inside on the floor by the door would save the four souls trapped in that room? Not a scrap of logic in it. And then there's the fact that the surgery ward was on the fourth floor at the back of a large sprawling building - WITH NO ELEVATORS. You better f-n be healthy before you leave, because it's a 20 minute hike in steep dirty stairwells to the front door. And because of his internal bleeding our friend was anemic, which meant that his young wife - while managing all the care of very young (1 year old) son with his own health problems - had to organize not one but TWO blood drives among their friends and family.
And what's more, is I think on the Russian scale of things, that was a pretty good hospital. Certainly the biggest, best one on the island (accessible to Russians).
The oilies probably get airlifted to Seoul.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
8 Ways to Say "In Sheer Futility" in Russian
Translator Michele A. Berdy helps us to express our feelings.
She writes, of one of the permutations of ways to say "in vain" (Blogger isn't encoded to let me type in Russian, but it's bespolezno- "byez-pa-LYEHZ-na"):
Translator Michele A. Berdy helps us to express our feelings.
She writes, of one of the permutations of ways to say "in vain" (Blogger isn't encoded to let me type in Russian, but it's bespolezno- "byez-pa-LYEHZ-na"):
- I'm very fond of 'bespolezno,' pronounced with each syllable accented as if you are pounding nails in a coffin.
Monday, May 29, 2006
Of Chanting Muscovites and Theremins
I've now read some more detailed accounts of the demonstration/ action/ violence and arrests in Moscow. The participant account I read noted that of the 50 people participating (pro-gay) *most* of them were Westerners. So great. The Russian conservatives can point to this fact and say this was Western provocation. This is exactly the thing that could make this dreadful event into a setback instead of a Stonewall. Now, on the other hand, the organizer says he's very satisfied with the results and has a court case he can now take to the European Court for Human Rights. That could very well help the movement in Russia. I hope it does. I was sickened by the accounts of the protestors-- in a few cases specific people I know-- getting their faces bloodied by fascists or forced face-down onto pavement by brutal police. I think everyone will continue to wonder if this was absolutely necessary to bring the human rights situation in Russia to the international stage.
The non-worrying-about-Moscow parts of my weekend have been much more fun. So far this weekend...
- I went to the local SF LGBT Center's queer open mic and actually read something;
- I went to a house party featuring the last performance of the original crew of Nappy Grooves, an Oakland original-- an African-American drag king troupe with a political edge;
- I fell asleep stretched out in the grass and sun- to the tune of lapping waves- while drying out the cache log at the geocache site Ashby Spit/ Point Emery- I only got a little sunburned;
- I went to a showing of experimental super-8 / 16 mm black and white short films by Bill Basquin - rural themes in a queer context- very cool;
- At drinks after the Bill Basquin screening, A., one of our party, taught us about something he learned about at a Dorkbot gathering-- the strange new art of molecular gastronomy aka "food hacking." G. told us about his recent meal at one of the Bay Area's private restaurants --run by renegade chefs bucking the tyranny of the restaurant system-- and the "slow food" movement (an outgrowth of the "slow cities" movement, or, as A. said, "a bifurcation of the meme")-- nerds amok in the kitchen, hooray!
- I went riding in Montara- beautiful ocean, beautiful sky, good horses;
- and most recently I went to a house party hosted by a couple of dear friends who are DJ's and breakdancers. One of their friends brought over a theremin and we all got to learn how to play it. This was an old Moog theremin, actually signed by Bob Moog. I really enjoyed how easy this instrument was on my tendonitis. When I remarked on this the owner of the Moog theremin said the thing was first invented to be used by Clara Rockmore, a theremin virtuoso who had MS. Well, that's sort of true. She became a thereminist because of physical difficulties that developed because of early childhood malnutrition. The theremin wasn't invented *for* her. But Mr. Theremin (a Russian, by the by) was in love with her, and did make some modifications on the instrument for her. Ah love. Trying to win a woman by perfecting her theremin...
I've now read some more detailed accounts of the demonstration/ action/ violence and arrests in Moscow. The participant account I read noted that of the 50 people participating (pro-gay) *most* of them were Westerners. So great. The Russian conservatives can point to this fact and say this was Western provocation. This is exactly the thing that could make this dreadful event into a setback instead of a Stonewall. Now, on the other hand, the organizer says he's very satisfied with the results and has a court case he can now take to the European Court for Human Rights. That could very well help the movement in Russia. I hope it does. I was sickened by the accounts of the protestors-- in a few cases specific people I know-- getting their faces bloodied by fascists or forced face-down onto pavement by brutal police. I think everyone will continue to wonder if this was absolutely necessary to bring the human rights situation in Russia to the international stage.
The non-worrying-about-Moscow parts of my weekend have been much more fun. So far this weekend...
- I went to the local SF LGBT Center's queer open mic and actually read something;
- I went to a house party featuring the last performance of the original crew of Nappy Grooves, an Oakland original-- an African-American drag king troupe with a political edge;
- I fell asleep stretched out in the grass and sun- to the tune of lapping waves- while drying out the cache log at the geocache site Ashby Spit/ Point Emery- I only got a little sunburned;
- I went to a showing of experimental super-8 / 16 mm black and white short films by Bill Basquin - rural themes in a queer context- very cool;
- At drinks after the Bill Basquin screening, A., one of our party, taught us about something he learned about at a Dorkbot gathering-- the strange new art of molecular gastronomy aka "food hacking." G. told us about his recent meal at one of the Bay Area's private restaurants --run by renegade chefs bucking the tyranny of the restaurant system-- and the "slow food" movement (an outgrowth of the "slow cities" movement, or, as A. said, "a bifurcation of the meme")-- nerds amok in the kitchen, hooray!
- I went riding in Montara- beautiful ocean, beautiful sky, good horses;
- and most recently I went to a house party hosted by a couple of dear friends who are DJ's and breakdancers. One of their friends brought over a theremin and we all got to learn how to play it. This was an old Moog theremin, actually signed by Bob Moog. I really enjoyed how easy this instrument was on my tendonitis. When I remarked on this the owner of the Moog theremin said the thing was first invented to be used by Clara Rockmore, a theremin virtuoso who had MS. Well, that's sort of true. She became a thereminist because of physical difficulties that developed because of early childhood malnutrition. The theremin wasn't invented *for* her. But Mr. Theremin (a Russian, by the by) was in love with her, and did make some modifications on the instrument for her. Ah love. Trying to win a woman by perfecting her theremin...
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Another Reason to Hate Moscow
The coverage isn't very detailed-- there will probably be tons more information within the day (I'll have to remember to check the chat on gayrussia.ru or gay.ru in the next day or so), but basically the first Moscow gay pride march (which, by the way, is translated as either "gay procession" or "gay parade") was a bust and there were bloodied noses and arrests and no festive gay parade to speak of. Just about 50 pro-gay folks and over 100 anti-gay folks and lots of police who were not there to protect the former, and maybe weren't there to protect the latter either.
I have been in alternating states of denial and stomach knots over this announced visibility action. I'm glad I wasn't there, to be honest. The Western European gay demagogues who put themselves on the front line of this Russian-led action aren't the people I hold in the highest esteem as tactical activists. But some part of me knows this needed to happen, and while in some sense it may have set the movement back in terms of public acceptance, in another sense I think it will have long-term positive effects, making the het community wake up and smell the hatred.
But don't count on me to be wearing my rainbow beads on the streets of Moscow anytime soon. In fact don't count on me going to Moscow anytime soon, period.
The coverage isn't very detailed-- there will probably be tons more information within the day (I'll have to remember to check the chat on gayrussia.ru or gay.ru in the next day or so), but basically the first Moscow gay pride march (which, by the way, is translated as either "gay procession" or "gay parade") was a bust and there were bloodied noses and arrests and no festive gay parade to speak of. Just about 50 pro-gay folks and over 100 anti-gay folks and lots of police who were not there to protect the former, and maybe weren't there to protect the latter either.
I have been in alternating states of denial and stomach knots over this announced visibility action. I'm glad I wasn't there, to be honest. The Western European gay demagogues who put themselves on the front line of this Russian-led action aren't the people I hold in the highest esteem as tactical activists. But some part of me knows this needed to happen, and while in some sense it may have set the movement back in terms of public acceptance, in another sense I think it will have long-term positive effects, making the het community wake up and smell the hatred.
But don't count on me to be wearing my rainbow beads on the streets of Moscow anytime soon. In fact don't count on me going to Moscow anytime soon, period.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Femme Convergence
The 2006 Femme Conference registration has opened! God I love it when a bunch of powerful organized femmes do a conference. There's nothing more organized than a femme conference.
The 2006 Femme Conference registration has opened! God I love it when a bunch of powerful organized femmes do a conference. There's nothing more organized than a femme conference.