Critical Mass Vancouver

This is an update to A Call to Bikes.
I just found an amazing post by The Nowtopian with great pictures of the ride:


(I'm the corker wearing a red velvet hat and the pink bike)





After such a wonderful Friday, I just want to add that Critical Mass completely changed my idea of public protest, of mass activism, and of cooperation within chaos. To see such a mass of committed people pedaling during four hours for the same ideals was truly inspiring. The cause of sustainable living seemed more plausible with every bike that cruised through the streets of Vancouver that evening. But, as The Nowtopian writes, it was even more impressive to see that, although we the cyclists made a total mess of the traffic in Vancouver last Friday (my favorite slogan was "we're not making traffic, we ARE traffic!"), drivers were not only gentle, but even supportive. (Here is a pic by my friend Peter Holmes:)












In Mexico City, the local government organizes weekend bike rides that are publicized as efforts to promote the use of bicycles. I went to one of those bike rides last year and I remember it was a great recreational event for citizens who generally don't enjoy biking in a city that is overwhelmed by cars. However, I find a large difference between Critical Mass and the Sunday rides in DF: not only are Mexico rides state-sanctioned and organized by the local police, they are also used as propaganda tools for the government of the "city of hope", which is trying to brand itself as an administration that embraces sustainability. The paradox is that it's the same government that decided to build a vast network of monstrous second floors that run over major avenues and freeways, sending the message that reliance on cars is inevitable and creating further incentives to buy motor vehicles.














But even worse, the Sunday bike rides in Mexico City are often planned to coincide with the local government's public protests against the federal government, and riders are escorted by a vast police force. This makes the bike rides a planned electoral manipulation.

On the opposite end, what I loved about last Friday is that, although Critical Mass is a well established activity in Vancouver, it still felt like a spontaneous flooding of the streets by individuals that treat the substitution of cars by bikes as a value. It seemed to me that the tens of thousands of cyclists that overwhelmed the Lions Gate Bridge on Friday had a clear intention to parade their beliefs around the city. Not only were there constant chants and slogans along the ride, but people had a tremendous willingness to stop and explain to motorists what the bike ride was all about. Discussions and dialogue were the norm, rather than the exception. Thus, Critical Mass shifted from being simply a recreational ride to an act of mass political action.

A Call to Bikes

Come and join us as we take the streets of Vancouver today!

Your eyes, they turn me.

(simply...speechless)



All sessions from the Basement are being sold on iTunes.

Brad Mehldau, Bravissimo!

Oh, the indescribable joy of jazz festivals! I've just come home from a tremendous performance by the Brad Mehldau Trio at the Vancouver Centre for Performing Arts. The venue was perfect, and the crowd eager to clap and make noise after every single solo. Mehldau was very cool at his piano, keeping the rhythm by sliding his shoulders from side to side...his hands dancing over the ivory keys as he glanced occasionally at bassist Larry Grenadier.

There is a certain air of reverence at jazz festivals that has always surprised me...it feels as if the audience acknowledges that jazz musicians are a different breed, magicians that have a superior level of understanding about music. The stage becomes an altar of improvisation, in which creation occurs every instant and the sound is indescribably authentic. If you've lived through a 10+ minute piano solo, where the suspense grows with every note as you realize the music can take any direction, you might understand what I'm trying to say.

Back to Brad. They started off with a Thelonious Monk masterpiece. Then I believe they played a Coltrane song (please correct me if I'm wrong), and an Ella Fitzgerald classic. The common denominator in these songs was Brad Mehldau's incredible ability to improvise...to simply sit in his piano, feel the sounds coming from Jeff Ballard's drums, and reinvent songs that have been going around for decades.

After the fourth piece, Mehldau suddenly grabbed the microphone to tell us its story. He told us he dreamed the song while watching the movie "Easy Rider" on an airplane. He said his song was an imaginary eulogy that would be delivered by Wyatt (Peter Fonda) to George Hanson (Jack Nicholson) after his death. Priceless!

Then, unexpectedly, the trio began playing Sufjan Stevens' "Holland"! They started slowly, softly, in that very melancholy Sufjan mood...and then picked up the pace, stopped for a couple of solos, and suddenly bang! Holland appropriated by Mehldau!

And like a true maestro, Brad Mehldau saved the best for last. Yes...as you might have expected, he treated the audience with a Radiohead cover. (I must confess that the first Mehldau song I ever heard was his version of "Paranoid Android", about 5 years ago. I bought his "Largo" album and became an instant follower. One of the reasons why I wanted see him tonight was to hear one of his Radiohead covers). Fortunately, on this beautiful night in Vancouver, Brad Mehldau surprised the audience by finishing his performance with a magnificent version of "Exit Music (for a film)"!

I left my seat (orchestra, T-30) humming the last song and thinking that, although I adore the unpredictability of jazz (and the beauty of trying not to get lost in every song, thanks to my ADD), there is something inherently attractive about listening to an alternative version of a song you know by heart.

Forget Obama

Look, I've got certain information, certain things have come to light, and uh, has it ever occurred to you, man, that given the nature of all this new shit, that, uh, instead of running around blaming me, that this whole thing might just be, not, you know, not just such a simple, but uh--you know.

(You might be wondering what on earth I'm blathering about.)

And I'll tell you what I'm blathering about! I got information--new shit has come to light and--shit, man! The Dude and Walter are running for office!














Well sure, look at it! The Nam veteran and the bum, in the parlance of our times....what a pair! I mean, hasn't it ever occurred to you, dear readers?

(Much obliged, Diana)

Dude's script.

iLaugh

Sichuan earthquake, behind the scenes

(or "The Nudge Revisited")

Reader reviews the Gospel

And now, a little pearl of opinion. This was a review posted for the Bible (King Jame's edition) sold on Amazon.

The Gospel? (spoilers)
by Mark Plant

I picked this up because I heard it advertised as the Gospel, which translates to "good news." It opens up by telling the reader how the human race is doomed because two poorly developed characters ate an apple that a snake told them to eat.

That's not good news.

I can't say I found much good news at all in this. It actually closes by telling us that the world is going to end, and how we should all be prepared.

I would not recommend this book to others. It does not deliver on many of its advertised promises, and features weak characters and archaic diction.

(Thank you Rodrigo)
(Thank you QualityNonsense)

Turkey and Germany

In a couple of days, the national soccer teams of Turkey and Germany will be playing against each other in the first semi-final of the Euro 2008. I'm far too ignorant on soccer to talk about it, let alone post about it. However, just knowing about these two national teams facing each other in a massive media event sets my mind on various tangents.

About 70% of Turkey's immigrants live in Germany. Today, there are nearly 3.5 million ethnic Turks living in Germany (4% of the German population), of which, roughly 2 million have become German citizens, and about 60% work as unskilled labor. Turkish is the second most commonly spoken language in Germany, even more common than English. Turkish workers' remittances from Germany are a major source for external finance: about 2.5% of Turkey's GDP.

In other words, Germany needs Turkish workers and Turkey needs the money that Turkish immigrants earn in Germany.

Yet, Turkish immigration to Germany has not exactly been a smooth ride. Concerns about the "Islamization" of Germany have caused an ongoing debate on Germany's immigration policies and religious tolerance. Anti-immigration voices received great attention in the past election, and although Germany's Nazi past virtually eliminates any public discourse that could be considered racist, ethnic tensions are beginning to surface.

That is why I think Wednesday's match will be the most interesting match of the Euro 2008. Soccer levels the playing field between the two countries. Metaphorically, it allows equal conditions for Turks and Germans, at least during 90 minutes. Thus, an event of such magnitude has the power to either unite the country under the brotherhood of sportsmanship...or ignite the worst passions know to man. Needless to say, I would love to witness the streets of Berlin this week and enjoy Wednesday's game with a shawarma in one hand and a beer mug in the other.

Walking on the Moon

Ahhh...the joys of low tide in the English Bay!

(Click on the photos!)