War and Peace

I am rarely political, mostly because I assume that no one wants to hear my opinions, and that they wouldn't be useful in usual circumstances. However, I have been thinking of the war recently, and I have come up with an interesting insight. I read my brother's blog today for the first time in half a month, and he thought of the exact same thing, although in must deeper scope.

War is sometimes unavoidable and necessary. WWII was a crucial war for our country on both fronts. It was crucial for the world that this war happen. WWI was a senseless, moronic war, in a sense indirectly responsible for every major war since then. (Russia's devastation in WWI was certainly a crucial factor in the Communists seizing the power that they did.) War, more often than not, however is not a matter of national survival, but a matter of political manipulation and support of alliances. In an ideal democratic state, the goal of our founding fathers is one that should be adhered to: isolationism, and neutrality concerning international affairs.

It is amazing how ignorant Americans are to the political activities conducted in secret by our "open" and "democratic" government. We collude with and bribe other powers to bend to our desires, and we, just like the Soviet Union, conduct propaganda campaigns on a massive level. It is my belief that a government so masterful at conducting international affairs in such a manner can possibly be blindly trusted to be a benevolent giver of free, fair, and open democratic leadership at home.

War also sets in motion an economic disaster, as our debt accrues at a staggering rate. Last Halloween our debt topped $8 trillion. That money doesn't just come from nowhere.

Mostly, I believe that a healthy democratic nation requires civil liberties, a free press, and an adaptable government willing to serve the needs of the people, and alter itself as demanded by the voice of the people. In an arrogant, warring nation, these ideals become impossible.

In my brother's masterful report of this theme, he draws attention to the lessons we must learn from Ancient Greece and Rome. They, both beginning as democratic societies, through constant war and empire building, degraded into nations of imperialism, then despotism. Is the writing on the wall for us too? I am certainly not encouraged by the current administration, which strives to solidify its power, while silencing voices of dissent. The quality of US media sources leaves a lot to be desired as well.

To end this rant, my point is simply that a powerful central government, especially one which seeks to manipulate foreign matters, is likely going to be quite detrimental back home. Because of this, I am an advocate of a neutral military stance, and a reduced, libertarian government, giving powers to local regions, until an issue is large enough to require action at the state, then federal level. The constitution was designed with this in mind, the states retaining all rights not otherwise required by the federal government. This seems to be long forgotten, however.

My Brother's blog entry: http://charlesja.livejournal.com/12936.html

Good-bye Weekend!

I had a very good weekend. I enjoyed it, and I hope this next week is very good. I went ice skating today, and then was treated to lunch by my friend Alexander. We and Navina went to this place, which was just like Walla Walla's Mongolian Grill! Except, they didn't have any noodles! What is an MG without noodles? They did have tofu though.

Yesterday, I was treated to an amazing concert at the Eastern Church. The music was mostly classical, and baroque choral music. There were two English arrangements that were performed beautifully. So, this was a good weekend, and I had a lot of fun spending time with my friends here. I plan to get much more sleep this week than last, and thus, this week should be great! More pictures will be coming soon also!

Europe Photos Online!

My Europe Photos are finally online! I haven't added many captions yet, but the photos are definitely impressive. See them at http://photos.klassica.com, or click "Photo Album" above.

Firefox Wins Again!

After checking my blog statistics (and adding a counter), I discovered an exciting stastic: 30.4 % of my blog's vistitors are using Mozilla Firefox, and 30.1% are using MS Internet Explorer!

Of course, I use Firefox, but since unique vistors are only counted once, my usage barely affects these statistics. This definitely tells me that a lot of people are visiting with Firefox, even more than with MS Internet Explorer, in fact. The rest of the visits are unknown, but are probably search engine robots, crawlers, etc. Safari, the #3 browser is at 2.5% usage.

For all you who haven't yet been enlightened, Firefox is free browser, that is super easy to use, and is also safe and secure. A great way to avoid MSIE's security issues (and to avoid worms, viruses, spyware, etc.). Firefox also has many cool features like tabbed browsing. I highly recommend it to everyone. And, no, I haven't been payed to write this, I just love this great piece of software. It should be on every computer. So, to the majority of my bloggies: mad props guys!

Mercury Still Dropping!

This photo is of a 6-meter ice sculpture of Big Ben in Moscow's Pushkin Square. A fun way to celebrate the cold winter here. This is no ordinary winter, however. After a month of mild temperatures, this week Russia is seeing the lowest temperatures it has seen since 1940! It is now -30°C (-22°F). It was almost that cold all day today, and tomorrow may be colder. By next Monday, the temp could reach -39°C. Brrr....

News reports say that already, 24 people have died from the weather (mostly homeless). Russian energy companies have urged strict conservation due to the cold. This has caused a reduction in the amount of electricity and gas used for non-essential purposes such as advertizing, and flood lighting.

Going to and from work, I wore two t-shirts under a sweatshirt under a sweater under a coat under another coat. I was plenty warm for the brief time I spent outside today -- all except for my face, that is.

The bitter cold here didn't stop me from having ice cream today. Twice. :)

Awashed in Sunbeams

It's a sunny day alright! It's about 13:00 (1:00pm), and there's not a cloud in the sky.

It's also a nice -23°C (or -9°F for y'all Americans out there). Brrrr.... I think I will stay inside today as much as possible!

Apologies to Jen for stealing your headline!

Reflecting on an American-Iranian Handshake

The fun thing about staying in hostels: you never know who you will meet! For my last night in Europe, I was at the AO Hostel in Berlin. I was in a six bed dorm room, but everyone was out partying until very late; all except for myself and this middle aged middle eastern man.

As I entered the room, this man, in excellent English says "hello, how are you doing?" He introduces me, and we had a great converstion from midnight until 4:00am. Mohammed Ali (that's really his name) is about 60 years old, and is from Iran. He is in Germany in preparation for a major knee surgery.

We chatted about US/Iranian politics, about the Muslim and Baha'i religions, and about the Farsi Language. He wrote the alphabet for me, and explained how it works. (Alphabets are a big fascination of mine.)

Anyway, from what he said, Iran is a decent country, with much better freedoms and cultural integration than the picture which the Western media portrays. I know our media and news certainly casts a very bad light on the happenings and way of life of Iran. He seemed to paint a really good image of the country, and it's official policies.

I have no doubt that there is a lot of propaganda on both sides, about each of our countries. Even though my limited research on the internet seems to indicate Iran does have serveral shortcomings in the area of human rights and religious freedoms, I think that Americans and Iranians are not a funamentally different people, but are living, breathing, caring human beings. It is a tragedy that our politicians plot division, teach intollerance, suppress truth, and draw up battleplans. And for those offences against God/Allah's plans, both sides are guilty, and both have transgressed. I guess a little humility, and willingness to reach out and talk to someone from a different walk of life can go a long way. It is certainly the "Christian" thing to do.

Though I did get my new friend's email address, It is doubtful I will ever see him again, but I can know we will keep each other in our prayers, and pray for peace for both of our countries. By all means, I highly recommend all my American friends to travel and meet people from other places, and expand your horizons; it sure is a fun way to improve one's knowledge of the world!

Frigid Russian Winter

I guess we've been lucky to have a fairly mild winter this year so far. Tomorrow that is all going to change! The forecast predicts that the temperatures are going to plummit down to -28° C (-18° F) tomorrow night, and -32° C (-25° F) by Wednesday night! That is severely cold! I guess these bitting winter temperatures are what defended mother Russia against Napoleon and Hitlers grand armies.

It's Good to be Home!

I flew back to Moscow today! It's good to be home. My trip went very well. The last 24 hours were kind of crazy and busy though. Going from Amsterdam to Berlin by train, then from Berlin to Moscow by plane, all within 20 hours is way too much traveling.

I start teaching again on Monday, and I am looking forward to it!

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

It's so sad, my vacation is almost over. I really do look forward to returning to Moscow, but I will really miss Europe. I feel as if I have made a new friend that I won't see for a few years.

So I am back in Berlin right now, and I fly out in about 9 hours. Hopefully there will be a little sleep time between now and then. I really love Berlin, it's definitely one of my favorite cities.

I haven't been online in a few days, but a lot of ground has been traveled, and a lot of photos taken. I was in Amsterdam yesterday and today. I must say the center is really disgusting at night. It offends even me. I think I was offered cocaine/crack at least 8 times. And waking past coffee shops definitely gives you a whiff of something not quite right.

I rented a bike today and biked all around Amsterdam. I also saw the Rembrandt house. Amsterdam is really an amazing city, once you look past all the wierdos. I guess I am just not as tolerant and liberal as thought I was. Oh well. And with that I am signing off. I'll talk to you later from Russia.

Love,
Arthur

The Art of Ghent, Belgium

I was in Ghent today (Gent in Flemish). At one point, Gent was medieval Europe's largest city outside of Paris. I the beautiful artworks and sculptures inside the large St. Baafskathedraal, one of which is a large set of wooden panels, upon which are one of the earliest oil paintings. These paintings of Bible stories were done by Jan Van Eyck in 1432. He is credited with inventing oil paint as a coloring medium. The rest of the Cathedral was full of awesome works by this and later artists.

Later that day, I went to the S.M.A.K Museum of Modern Art. It was very interesting, and quite appealing. Especially the bundle of newspapers in a litterbox full of water and pondscum. A vine of ivy had taken root, and was emerging from the bundle. Other exhibits included large panels covered in about half a cm of water which rippled to the vibrations of the six speakers the panels were mounted upon. The video pf people mudbathing was quite unique too. This museum allowed pictures! I think I want to be a modern artist.

Luxembourg

I am spending the night in a large hostel in Luxembourg City. It really fascinating, historical, and artsy. It is a small capital of a tiny country. This city is built on a high plateau, with a system of really deep gorges and rivers cutting through it. Founded in 963, the large castle/fortress rests at the top of the gorge, and the walls tower really high, as if a scene from a fairy tale. At night, spotlights illuminate everything, and it is all open to wander around in. It's really strange that the streets are almost completely empty after dark. It is really fascinating to wander around alone anongst mideval city buildings and walls, which are now inhabited by restaurants and fashion shops. Everything here is rustic, but amazingly beautiful.

I had dinner at a cheap Italian pizzaria. It was really interesting listening to people talking in the local language of Luxembourgish. It is Germanic, but sounds like a mix of German, Dutch, and French, or perhaps a French person speaking German with French pronunciation. Kind of strange, but very interesting. Tomorrow, I think I will visit the castles, underground casements, and an art gallery, before heading on to Belgium.

Seven-Star Hotel

Fast Internet, Laundry, chaufeur service, breakfast, and a steak dinner, all included. I stayed there in Frankfurt last night. It was incredible. This "seven-star" hotel was actually the apartment of Olivier and his fiance. Olivier is a fellow Typo3 web programmer, and he offered to host me, after I posted a request on the Typo3 message lists. Yet another great thing about open-source programming -- friends all over the world. Olivier, thank you for the hospitality, you have a friend for life. I do expect you to visit sometime in the USA. I will take you for a round of golf, and show you around my city (where ever that will be).

So, I have left Germany this evening. It was a great country, with the friendliest people. It's even better than Russia! Everyone knows English well too. I will come back someday. For now, it's off to Benelux. Next stop: Luxembourg.

Frankfurt, Deutschland

I am in Frankfurt today, staying with a fellow Typo3 developer. I am leaving for Benelux tomorrow. Benelux is the cluster of the small nations of Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. I plan on visiting some of the battlefields in Belgium, and perhaps having some waffles too :) Don't worry, I don't plan on visiting any coffee shops in Amsterdam.

A little bit of bad news now, I believe my mobile phone decided it liked Swizerland enough to immigrate there. I don't blame, I almost did the same. Anyway, I know the hostel where it probably is at, but the front desk hasn't seen it yet. Maybe it will show up, but I'm not holding my breath.

I also saw the coolest thing today: A meter wide oil/canvas painting of Google.de in Firefox, it was über realistic and very well done, it even included the Web Developer toolbar. I'll post pictures as soon as I can.

Leaving Geneva

I love Geneva! It's such as awesome city. I only got to spend an afternoon here though. I did visit the Red Cross Museum. It was really eye-opening, and pulled at the heart. I have been so stressed and in a state of worry throughout my trip. I am worried about things, like money, accomodation, etc.

Being in the Red Cross museum today relly did give my a sense of thankfulness and peace. I could be being marched across Europe almost bearfoot and starving, while being shot at, or being railroaded to some hellish camp somewhere. I really do have it good. Even if things are stressful at times, they always do work out very well. And for that I am thankful.

Also, I haven't had an opportunity to write about it, but on Tuesday, I visited the Nazi concentration camp at Dachau. It is hard to describe being at such a place. It was peaceful, cold, and still. But the thought of what life was like there only 56 years ago is haunting. The museum is very informative, and the gas chambers, firing squad alley, and the crematorium are there as reminders of such a hellish time. It can only be so horrible and eire, it is simply numbing. As the memorial says, in German, Hebrew, English, French, and Russian: "Never Again"
I will post pictures of this, and my other travels soon.

Switzerland and France!

Guess where I went today? France! I went on a cogwheel train ride up through the high alps, across the border to a resort town at the foot of Mt. Blanc, western Europe's highest mountain.

Yesterday I went skiing near Interlaken. It was awesome and incredible. It was also very exhausting. Today's day of sitting on trains listening to John Denver was a nice break. I am quite worried about my financial situation though, especially considering a large bill pay transfer hasn't gone through yet :) But being stuck in a foreign land with no money is part of the whole adventure! I wish I had more time to write, but the internet here is about $1.75 for 13 minutes. Insane. Switzerland is beautiful, but damn expensive. My lunch today was a baguette and cheese, plus a nalgene full of water.

Switzerland Here I Come!

I am in Munich right now. And, no, I haven't been ice skating, if anyone was wondering. Why do distasters always happen near places where I am traveling?

I went to the famous Neuschwanstein castle today -- it was magnificant! Even though you couldnt really see the outside of it because of heavy snow, the inside was very very beautiful. Most impressive was the artwork on the walls, themed after Richard Wagner's operas, which were a favorite of King Ludwig. Definitely worth the long cold hill climb. Everyone there was American or Korean as well :)

So, I just finished my dinner. That Baklava sure was delicious. I have to catch a train to Zurich in 20 minutes. Wish me "bon voyage"! Also, I want to say a belated Happy New Year to everyone!

Munich to Zurich

I have EUrail passes for Germany and Switzerland. Only problem is the train tonight passes though 20 km of Austria. Austria is not covered by my passes. I was wondering what I should do, and know one at the train station was able to help either. They had no clue. Anwyay, I was able to find a EUrail ticket counter, and they sold me a ticket for the Austria leg for 5.80€. Not bad at all! I am mainly writing this so that it ends up on google, and can help someone in my situation :)