Political Doublespeak For Robots and Pinocchios

The passage I refer to is a quote from Dean Del Maestro, the parliamentary secretary for Prime Minister Harper. He is responding to Opposition leader Bob Rae's questioning in the House today (Monday, March 5, 2011).

1. Ensure that the statement includes more clauses and parts of speech than a grade 10 English textbook. Let your meaning seem obvious... But let your statement be impenetrable.

“When will he make those phone records public? Because I believe when those phone records are made public, the Liberal Party will have fingered itself for each and every one of these calls that they allege had taken place.” -Dean Del Mastro, March 5, 2011

2. When taking heat, defer attention of listeners towards opposition:

“When will he make those phone records public?"

3. Do not make a truth-binding statement about reality that might haunt you later on. Avoid doing so by stating a belief, a thought, a suspicion, popular knowledge, etc.:

"Because I believe..."

4. Further cloud your statement by the use of conditionals. "If...then", "when...then", etc.:

"when those phone records are made public, the Liberal Party will have fingered itself..."

5. Any accusation should be shrouded and indirect so as to not backfire. Metaphors, conditionals, ambiguous meanings and insinuations rule supreme here.

"when those phone records are made public, the Liberal Party will have fingered itself for each and every one of these calls that they allege had taken place.”

Note: "will have fingered itself" - This statement suggests that the Liberals will be the ones who had carried out the calls in question. But it in no way explicitly states this. If taken literally, this statement means something entirely different... something entirely unconnected to the question of blame.

See the full news story that this passage appears in: "Tories demand Liberals release call records – but refuse to follow suit" - Gloria Galloway (The Globe and Mail, March 5, 2011)

A Memory from Customs at Narita Airport, Tokyo

I had quite the experience while proceeding through Japanese Customs in 2002. After having lifted away from the thick, hot air of Seoul, I landed at Narita dead tired from the previous evening in the capital of South Korea. My introduction to soju was swift.

Picture a 16-year-old blonde kid, surrounded by Koreans and Japanese businessmen and families. Here I am stepping off a flight from Seoul... alone. As I approached the Customs official, the last remnants of soju reminded me of how early the flight was. I stepped up to the desk and handed the big Japanese man my passport.

As he sized up my travel stamps, he saw that I had traveled from South Korea alone, and began to interrogate me about my travels. Being as calm as any 16 year old in a Customs line possibly could be, I explain that I was staying with a friend in Korea, and that now I would be staying with friends in Niigata. He continued to ask more questions, and I continued to give him several variations on the same theme.

After a few minutes of this, he told me he is opening my bag to check through my luggage, to which I agreed. He cut the tie-wrap sealing the zipper and began combing through my clothes and souveniers. I had some whiskey and soju to give as gifts in Japan, but I had already declared them. So that was no concern! But then all of a sudden, the officer lets out a gasp as he pulls from my luggage....

A Maxim magazine! Nani desuka??? The tension of the situation rose at a very... unreasonable rate. He began speaking over me in harsh tones, and entirely in Japanese. I was able to make out "pornography?" in his words. So as he was asking me a question, I tried to reply that it is not at all pornographic! It seemed almost silly at the time, as if I had been called into the principal's office at elementary school.

I offered to show him the contents of the magazine, in order to prove my point. Then I proceeded to flip through the pages, showing him articles and some very nice--non-nude--photos. I even got a smile on his face. By the end he was convinced that it's all ok, and that the magazine is not what he'd expected. With that, the officer decided I was free to go.


He still took the magazine though!

Three Years of IPSA - Article from De Wijzer, April 2011

When I was asked to write a bit about my experience in Leuven for De Wijzer, I knew exactly what I would be discussing: The International Philosophy Student’s Association (IPSA). I want to share some of the experiences I have had while working on making IPSA all that it has become. First, though, l want to put out the disclaimer that anything I might have done to establish and build this organization would have meant nothing if it weren’t for the great people around me. So a big shout-out is in order:

If it weren’t for their encouragement, I would never have started (thanks, Stijn and the ’08-‘09 NFK praesidium!).

If it weren’t for their hard work, I would never have been able to lead it where it went. (thanks, especially, to the IPSA ANGELS of ’09-’10, Dziugas, Liesbeth, Ryan, Thérèse, and every other person ever involved in organizing IPSA!)

If it weren’t for their support and inspiration, I would never have had the will power to step up during rough moments. (Thanks to NFK praesidia of all three years, the faculty at HIW, and the people at LOKO International!)

If it weren’t for their smiling faces showing up at our events, I would have had no reason to do it in the first place. (Thanks to you all!)

We have had some fantastic times together. And while at times our organization does not live up to its true potential due to lack of initiative among many of the students, there are still these magical moments that make it all worth it. Last year was filled with them. For me, perhaps the most magical of these moments was the theatre/rock benefit event at which we raised 200 Euros for an AIDS orphanage in Mombasa. I will always look back at that night and be filled with inspiration and joy, and I challenge you to organize a similar event! This year has not been without its own magical moments. Our colloquia have been thought-provoking and inspirational to everyone present. The IPSA/NFK coordinated Open Mic held in March of this year was a success, both in quality and quantity. It was wonderful to see old and new friends freely expressing themselves up on stage, and of course it was a pleasure to do so myself too!

There are so many experiences that have built up over these years with IPSA that it would be hard to do it any justice in a brief article. But I suppose that what would really do IPSA justice is to keep it alive, keep it growing, and let it flourish under the care of new students. It has been exceedingly difficult to pass leadership on, however. With new students coming in each year, with absolutely no idea about what IPSA is or even what Leuven is all about in general, it’s quite difficult to recruit a new group for leadership each year. I think what most directly contributed to last year’s success was the recruitment efforts taken at the very beginning of the year: along with Dziugas and Efe’s great help at student orientation, the help of the legendary party planner Matthew Barton gave way to an infamous start of year moustache party. What was it that got the most attention? FREE BEER!

Alas, my time in Leuven is coming close to an end, and with thesis work dominating my attention it is no longer possible for me to continue taking the lead. I can only hope that other students will see the value in organizing themselves around the IPSA name. If you want an amazing experience that will teach you more life lessons than you know, and if you want to get funding while you are at it, then just make it happen! All you need to do is get people’s attention at the beginning of the year, showing the potential of a good student group. Read here: throw a good party, and they will come! Then you’ve got to organize and delegate. People have parties, nights out, soccer matches, reading groups, and so on all the time… why not organize these officially with IPSA? Why not accept funding? The institute website advertises their International Philosophy Student’s Association, so why not embrace it? It is waiting to become whatever you want to make of it. Challenge yourself. You might be surprised at what you discover… I know I have!


JB

(Original article posted on page 10:Three Years of IPSA)

Throne Speech: Stop Harper

A big respectful shoutout to Brigette DePape, who risked her position as page to the throne to make her voice be heard. It's too bad that she had to break her word to the queen and parliament to do so. Here's to hoping we can find alternate means to better representation in our fine country's governance.

This post is my response to Gloria galloway's article "Senate weighs security overhaul after page’s ‘Stop Harper’".

A quote from this article:

“I don’t have to tell you what would have happened if she had something else inside her jacket instead of a poster,” Mr. Tkachuk said.

The most important point to me, Mr. Tkachuk, is the fact that there was nothing other than a poster inside Ms. DePape's jacket. The fact that this young, politically active Canadian was prepared to sacrifice her position as page to the throne--not to mention her own reputation in future public endeavors--is a testament not only to the will of young Canadians today, but also a testament to the basic values today's young Canadians stand for. But most of all, the fact that she chose such a non-violent method of revolt is testament to the great hope we young Canadians have in continuing our national legacy of peace and liberty.

In the article:

Ms. DePape, who has been working as a page in the Senate for about a year and who was immediately fired from her job after being led out of the chamber by the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons, said she staged the protest because she believes democracy was not served by the recent election. Mr. Harper’s Conservatives won a majority with just 40 per cent of the popular vote.

Ms. Depape acted on an impulse felt by many after this election: something has gone horribly wrong with the democratic process that we have come to take for granted in our country. She had lost faith in the basic mechanisms we have set up in order to ensure our own fair representation in the governance of Canada. Let me be one of may to tell you: she is not alone in this impulse. Democratic reform was a major issue for many Canadians in the 2011 election. Many feel that the current voting system needs to be reformed, and that proportional representation needs to play a greater role in the outcome of future Canadian elections.

Ms.Depape sacrificed something to stand up for her values and for her country. I for one, will remember her actions as a highlight in the Canadian story of democracy.

It was a clear act of “contempt” for the Parliament that Ms. DePape had sworn to serve, he added.

Let us remember that it was contempt that brought us into the 2011 election in the first place. And let us note that our current leading party went directly from contempt to a majority government. Above all, let us be concerned... if not for who is leading us now, then at least for how we will be able to choose who leads us in the future.

I ask anyone who reads this to learn more about democratic reform, and get active by spreading the word, and contacting your MP about your concerns regarding representation and democratic reform. Tell them that the time for change is now.

Brigette DePape, a hero to some.

A protester holds a sign reading "Stop Harper" is lead from the room as Canada's Governor General David Johnston delivers the Speech from the Throne in the Senate chamber on Parliament Hill in Ottawa June 3, 2011. REUTERS/Chris Wattie

The Costs of War: A response to the recent Canadian Forces press release re: "Canadian warplanes drop 240 smart bombs on Libya"

This is my response to the CP article found here.


The article recaps the Armed Forces press briefing in which it is revealed that "Canadian warplanes have dropped 240 laser-guided bombs on Libyan targets since March 31". The article goes on to say that "Military officials won't discuss how much those smart bombs cost taxpayers, or how much the entire mission has cost to date."


So naturally I started wondering about this, and began to speculate. So I began looking into it.


The "227-kilogram, laser-guided bombs" to which the article refers are most likely none other than the Enhanced Paveway II 500-pound GBU-49, which the Canadian Forces began using in 2009. Refer to this Raytheon press release.


Now, I had trouble finding a price tag for these things... I'm not exactly experienced in seeking out the prices for weapons... but I was eager to get some idea of just how much those 240 bombs have cost us over the past 26 days.


I couldn't find an official press release stating the exact price, but with the little time I've set aside for this, I was able to find this Danish article, which states: "The Tactical Air Command reports that around half of the ammunition used so far is 500-pound bombs of the GBU-49 type, which cost 300,000 kroner each."


I went to www.xe.com to see what that equates to in CAD. According to Mid-market rates as of 2011-05-25 21:01 UTC, 300,000.00 DKK = 55,388.22 CAD.


So, to put an approximate price tag on these 240 bombs dropped in the past 26 days:

240 x 55,388.22 CAD = 13,293,172.80 CAD



I admit that I don't have an authoritative source on the exact price of these bombs, but I hope that nonetheless this little note will give you an idea of just how much money is spent "behind the curtain" of war.

Sublime - New Realization (Cover by JB)

I can't stop playing this song over the past few days... so I decided to upload it. I wish I could get better quality from my laptop microphone, but this is the best it could offer. Nonetheless... enjoy!

The Prague Blog: Part 1, The Experience

How can I begin this blog, except by exclaiming, PRAGUE ROCKS!!!

Now that that's out of the way, let me tell you about my week long Prague experience. First of all, let me note that I chose to stay a week, instead of just a few days like many of the travellers I met there. There are many things you can see and taste in 3 days. If you were to search out some list of the top 10 spots in Prague, you could probably get pictures of all of them in 3 days. But...

If you really want to experience Prague, then you need to give it time to reveal itself to you. My experience became real for me on day 4 of the trip, which was one day after the dreaded Prague pub crawl, an essential part of any young tourist's visit. If that was the farthest one can get from the essence of Prague, my experience the next day was probably about the closest. I started the day off on facebook, where I began talking to a girl I met at the pub crawl. We decided we would meet for Czech food at lunch time. We found a beautiful restaurant in an old brewery building.

Drinking Pilsner Urquell, we order beef goulash with plain dumplings and bacon dumplings. Amazing food, completely cured any side affects of the previous absinthe-soaked evening. For the rest of the day, the heartiness of this meal spread to all of my impressions of Prague.

Afterwards we visited the Spanish Synagogue. The interior was beautifuly decorated with geometric designs and 'arabesques', but unfortunately we were asked not to take photos. You will have to visit for yourself. :)

After parting ways with my new friend, I went to an old church from the Twelfth Century. It is actually several chambers and a courtyard, which is near the Narodni Gallery. NOBODY was there, except for an employee at a gift shop at the end of a separating hall. I had the entire place to myself.

So I walked slowly through the halls and chambers, trying to feel the residual memories of almost a thousand years of human activity that has taken place within these walls. I set my jacket and camera aside, and sat down for meditation in the grandest chamber. Any small rustle of clothing would produce a loud and long echo, so I stayed silent. All alone, just me and this Bohemian princess from the 1200's. What a world.

After the peaceful repreive to my otherwise quick-paced and social experience of Prague, I went slowly walking until I reached the old city centre. I arrived just in time to hear the great astrological clock announce a new hour. It was already the fourth time I had seen the show. Beautiful, but I wonder how many of those crowded-in tourists noticed anything past the cameras they held over their eyes.

Here is a 500 year old clock that is in perfect working condition, and can tell you the position of the sun, the moon, the stars, and the day of the month. As a nearby guide pointed out... let me see your IPod function 500 years from now!

I ended the evening by spontaneously buying a ticket to see members of the Prague Symphony Orchestra perform a selection. The performance was a wonderful way to cap off a great day, and to really do the city justice. Here is a great cultural centre of the European world. It came as no surprise, therefore, that I found a comic-book bar to be my favorite evening hangout! The bar is called Batalion, and is covered in the comic artworks of Kaja Saudek. If you get a chance check it out. www.batalion.cz

What can I say after such a day but jsem šťastný (I am happy)! :)

The Girl who silenced the world for 5 minutes

This is one of the best speeches I have ever heard. A perfect mix of writing and delivery.  Severn Suzuki, A Canadian 13 year old speaks at A UN conference on environment and development. 
Severn is the daughter of David Suzuki, and she is now a TV host, speaker, and environmental activist.

Severn Cullis-Suzuki on Wikipedia

The Gordon Bombays are now on MySpace!

 Hi all!  As some of you know, I have been playing bass and singing with the band formerly known as A Bunch of Guys... it's the Gordon Bombays! And if that don't suit you, just call us the Bombay Five.
We are starting the page out with three acoustic recordings without Lucas on drums.  Sacha, Ryan, and I all sing at some point.

Sacha - rhythm guitar and lead vocals
Ryan - lead guitar, bongo and vocals
Josh - bass and reggae vocals
Geert - reggae bass and trumpet (and band artist)
Lucas - drums.

Check us out!
The Gordon Bombays on MySpace

We are also on youtube.  Here are links to three songs we performed live.
The Gordon Bombays - Horse With No Name
The Gordon Bombays - One Week
The Gordon Bombays - The Joker

Enjoy!  Look forward to better recordings with Lucas on drums. Coming soon!

Wiener Schnitzels and asparagus

So today while I was out checking the local food market, and I found some really fresh asparagus.  I picked up a bundle and got a wiener schnitzel from the market next door.  I decided to invite my buddy Ryan so we could jam out a bit and learn some new songs, but also so we could chat food.  Just like me, Ryan has experience working in a kitchen.  So it is a really great time to be able to talk the craft.  In such a small room with only an electric element BBQ and limited table space, preparing food here is a dramatic dance performance with twists and turns, much juggling of pans.  But in the end all came out quite well.  Let me tell you quickly how I did it all.

Timing is key when preparing a dish with several steps involved.  First boil the peeled and roughly cut potatoes in salted water, adding a small bit of beef or pork stock.  Heat up the pan for the asparagus, with a small bit of olive oil and a bit of butter.  Wait until the pan is quite hot (though not so hot that it smokes or browns the butter!), and add 1/3 cup of brunoise (diced) shallots and fry briefly. In a cup, mix 1/3 cup of water with beef bouillon (or use actual beef stock).  Add this to the frying pan, put your asparagus in, and cover with a crack open.  The asparagus should only be 15-20% under the liquid.  (Optional: add a little extra butter to the pan now.)  Let it simmer for about 5 minutes, and check the softness of the asparagus with your (clean) finger.
(semi-hard) Boil 2 eggs for 9 minutes. Peel and cool them in water, then mash them in a bowl with a fork. Set aside.
As that's going, the potatoes will be ready to drain.  After drained, you must add 1.5-2 tbsp of butter (depending on amount of potatoes).  Also add some salt, fine-ground white pepper, a dash of nutmeg. Mash together.  If it is too dry add a small amount of the bouillon from the asparagus.  
Heat up a wok or large frying pan with some butter.  Add 1-2 pieces of thick, brunoise (small cubed) bacon.  Also add brunoise (diced) shallots. When the bacon and shallots are fried in the pan, add the mashed potato. Mix well and don't let it burn! Don't fry for too long, just enough to mix it well and season it with extra pepper or salt.
When the asparagus feels right, I then transfer it to a hot dish to wait for the rest.  I clean off the pan and reheat it.  This time with a little bit of butter and a little bit of olive oil. Shallow fry the wiener schnitzel (which you can usually buy prepared and breaded).
Cut a lemon in half, take off the ends, and cut a cross through the middle from the edges.  This will take out many of the seeds. This is for the diner to squeeze over the schnitzel.
As the schnitzel is frying, heat another pan (preferably a small deep frying pan or saucepan).  Add butter (clarified butter if you have it handy!). Melt till bubbling, but not brown.  Add crumbled egg, dash of salt, and a grind of pepper. Put this on top of the asparagus when you prepare the dish.  Before doing so, though, make sure you add some of the juice and the diced shallots onto the asparagus.  

Prepare your dishes on (hot) plates. Garnish potatoes with chopped parsley or chives.  Make it look nice. Clean the edges. Serve with a sweet white wine.  The half lemon is to squeeze over the schnitzel.

Take a picture and post it as a response!  And ENJOY!

Chef Josh

Web 2.0: The New History

    Many people who read this blog probably use Facebook, Twitter, or some other online network that uses the "web 2.0" model of user action and interaction.  Consider Facebook as a map to the willing actions of each user.  This is, in the end, the most intimate documentation of history ever used.  Now our history is not only offered to us through the examination of artifacts, records and accounts often controlled by the ruling few, but instead it is offered to us through digital artifacts, accounts of the momentary thoughts, interests, and actions of individual human beings.  Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter go about collecting, saving, and sharing data, effectively creating a library of the lives of every one of its members. 
    So now our future actions will be directed by a historical record not chosen by a ruling interest, but by each individual member who is willing to take part in the account.  We have a record that shows the specific interests and activities of millions of individual users.  Herein lays the greatest potential of such a technology: like no other historical medium, it gives each person the chance to write his or her self into the history books.  Not to mention the possibilities that data trend analysis yields to policy makers, marketing interests, and so on.
    When used properly, to its fullest potential, it provides the conduit for a person to effectively change history, as well.  Because it is an interactive system, one can influence the actions of others, as well as form social groups and push specific interests.  Organizations are now formed between people of all walks of life, and according to the interests of the individuals.  Dog lovers unite, as do supporters of a specific political or religious group.  So not only is Facebook a medium for the historical record, it is also a medium for influence and power. 
   On a civic level, it is a  more democratic medium for finding out what citizens want than pre-Web 2.0 forms of data collection.  It could effectively give us the shape of democracy to come.  Not only is the Facebook model a good way of finding out the real opinions of the user-citizens, it is also a grounds for building social groups and a sense of community.  Already policy makers have begun to grasp the potential of Web 2.0: we see political leaders giving speeches online and even taking video-response interviews, we see facebook pages and twitters from the heads of state. Politicians are writing their own blogs, parties are building membership. 

    Watch as this new form of interaction gradually permeates all of our activities.  We will move from Web 2.0 to Life 2.0.  What we do, think and say will be shared with the world more than ever.

On Being and Action - Part One

In the following series of blogs I will be discussing all those big questions concerning the nature of the universe and its creation, along with the nature of free will and the possibility of the existence of god(s).  Open your mind and follow along.  If nothing else, this discourse will at least give you a chance to see the bigger picture.  Enjoy, and thanks for reading.

There are two opposing forces that govern every action that takes place in the universe.  On the one hand, there is a positive, creative force by which all things come into being and increase their order and involved relation to each other.  On the other hand there is a negative, destructive force which brings the current state of things to an end and generally decreases the orderly relation of all things to other things. 

That aspect which is commonly attributed to human being alone, i.e., free will, or the will to choose, at any point, the direction of ones actions, is in fact a law that holds for all things.  Free will is seen not only in the actions of human beings, but in the will of all events of existence.  Take for instance the movement we have recently been describing as the big bang.  This movement , as we would have it, is a movement from the extreme unity of a singular entity into the ever-widening universe.  This ever-widening is like the continual expanding of a balloon: as you blow the balloon larger and larger, the patterns on the surface of the balloon continually expand.  Things move apart, patterns get wider, and fragments disperse.  If we take the idea of entropy seriously, then this expansion implicitly involves a movement toward disorder.  Not only are the patterns of the universe expanding, they are in fact deteriorating.  Patterns of the way things once were are no longer recognizable patterns.  The links between those fragments of the original unity continue to decrease.

Such a trend of the activity of the universe should be considered as an example of a negative, destructive force.  And yet, just as I have explained that such a force is always coinciding with an opposing force of positive creation, it is reasonable to imagine that the movement which we describe with the big bang theory also has its opposing movement or force.  If the movement by which all the universe follows is one of entropy, then there must also be an opposite movement: a movement by which all things move from infinite fragmentation, infinite separation, towards unity and complete organization.  If there are clear patterns in the universe which tend by a law of entropy to decrease in their organization, then there must also be some sort of movement which increases organization and moves all fragments toward a singular unity.

The way I have been discussing these opposing trends is generally cosmological: it focuses on the 'big' things of existence.  But these trends can also be seen on the level of the tendencies of living beings, whatever 'living' means in particular. Even the phenomena of life and of death could be described as two instantiations of these two sides of all action.  However, can we not see the same two trends in human activity itself?  Look at those two sides to free will: if considered in the most general terms, the choice that is to be made at every moment is either a yes or a no.  Do it, or not do it?  Make it or not make it?  And so on.  Even in those cases where there are many options to choose from, one always chooses to either go or not go in which ever direction they choose. 

Take for instance the choice to either build something up or break something down.  Such is a very basic general movement observed in the actions of human beings.  One  might choose to build up systems of value by which one brings things together and increases the "orderliness" of the things around him, or one might choose activities which lead to a decrease of order: war is a very potent example of this, for it is inherently an action which moves to decrease the order of a particular set of things.  For example, the actions of war in a particular region tend to decrease the current order present in that place.  Yet, such an example gives us an opportunity to see a possible explanation of the wider relation between these two movements.  War is always a force of destruction directed by another force: that of order.  In war, the destruction of one entity or region is always directed by an urge to increase or create the order of another entity.  When a country invades its neighbor, it wreaks havoc with the intention of benefiting the order of the invading country.  If we take this example as a indicative of a wider tendency of the universe, then we can safely assume, at the least, that any action which tends toward destruction is directed by an opposing action of ordering or creation. 

It should be noted that the way we have been describing this so far is quite one-sided, for it assumes, if you will, that the chicken precedes the egg.  We cannot safely assume that the destructive is always ordered by the constructive.  We must also consider the possibility of the opposite: that the constructive, likewise, is a movement directed by the deconstructive.  Take again the example of war.  War is not simply a willing to decrease order.  Rather, it takes huge amounts of movements toward order in order to carry out the destructive actions of war.  Armies must be organized, bureaucracies must be established, even "rules of war" are often put in place to ensure that the very effort is held within the control of the acting entity.  Tactics are developed.  And what are war tactics if not a momentary organizing of "things" for the sake of the destruction of other "things"?  We must consider the macroscopic instance of this trend.

The Missing Writer Returns

Whoa, what a ride.

I guess I can't tell you about everything that has happened since my last post, since I stopped posting nearly 9 months ago.

But I can tell you where I am at right now, and hopefully start posting on Sophistical Subterfuges more regularly now.

Well, there are several areas of my life which have been developing as of late. There are three which are especially prominent: I have been making progress on my thesis, things are coming together with IPSA (International Philosophy Student's Association), of which I am now the President, and I am progressing in the culinary arts as well: last week was my first day as one of the main chefs at the restaurant I work at.

As for the thesis, I changed my topic a little bit and made it much more challenging for myself... yielding great results. Before I was basically explaining Ernst Cassirer's work on myth, essentially summarizing his second volume of the Philosophy of Symbolic Forms. I did not get any writing accomplished while this was still my topic. Frankly, I wasn't interested or inspired to work on a summary... and rightly so, for what kind of original and substantial paper would my thesis be if it did nothing more than summarize someone else's book?? Instead, I am writing on Cassirer's methodology for the Cultural Sciences. Through an historical account I am situating his work among his contemporaries, primarily in terms of the Neo-Kantians of the Marburg and Southwest Schools, but also in terms of the pramatism of Dilthey and especially the phenomenology of Husserl and Heidegger. I am now using Cassirer's work on myth as an example of how his methodology differs greatly from the other Neo-Kantians, and in many regards encounters a rapprochement with phenomenology. This, clearly, will require much more work on my behalf, and I am feeling eager to step up to the challenge.

As for IPSA, we held our first general meeting last week. We now have an executive and several coordinators. We are growing, and with this growth comes greater responsibility and commitment for me. I avoided legitimation of the group last year, mainly because I was new to the town/program and had few people to work with. This year, however, we hit the new students hard with an introductory tour after their welcome lecture by the faculty, as well as a great mustache party involving 8 cases of free beer.... kindly donated by an unidentified benefactor. This got people's attention. And now we have about 12 people who have committed themselves to planning events, increasing membership, and publicizing activities. We have drafted a constitution, a mission statement, and a list of events to be planned. My first order of business, however, is to attain funding from LOKO, which is the only EU subsidized international student's organization at K.U.Leuven. This will take some work on my behalf!

Finally, about my passion for cooking and the path this passion has set me on... well, for the last month I have been training in the kitchen of the restaurant I work at, doing mostly mis-en-place (preparation) for the week. This involves chopping a lot of vegetables, preparing sauces and soups, and so on. While I have been doing this, I have also been learning how to make various tapas dishes, desserts (like Sophie Lauren's tiramisu!), and so on. This past Friday was a milestone though... it was my first evening to work as one of the two main chefs in the front kitchen, which is open concept: i.e., the customers can watch you as you cook. Definitely an added element of pressure... it was a busy night, and we served about 40 plates in 3 hours. I kept my cool, went as fast as I could, and it was duly noted... now I will be working in the front more regularly. We come out with a new menu next week, and I will have to memorize the dishes so that I can prepare things without having to be told how. I've bought myself a high quality chef's knife (henckels) and I've grown to love using it! At one point last week while hanging out with friends I suddenly proclaimed, "I feel like cutting some onions." You can imagine the puzzled responses.

Well, that is enough updating for the time being, hopefully this post will be the first of many.

Check out Not Without The Sound of Infinite Splashing to see the progression of my work on Cassirer, the Neo-Kantians, and the cultural sciences.

Coming soon: Article 27, a blog about human rights, international relations, and philosophy concerning such matters.

Thanks for reading!

Rome or Bust: Getting There

Did you know that Brussels International Airport is not, after all, the same as Brussels-Charleroi Airport? That Ryanair does not fly out of Brussels International, but out of Brussels-Charleroi? That, while the first airport is 20 minutes from Leuven, the second is just over 2 hours? Don't worry... I didn't know all this at first either. Which is why I missed my first flight to Rome.

I knew that my ticket said Charleroi, I could read that clearly enough. But since I had never even had a reason to consider it before, it was only once I had arrived at the Leuven train station that I had realized two important things. First, the direct train to Brussels-Luchthaven that I had planned to take was not going to get me where I needed to go. Second, that because of this miscalculation on my part, I would almost certainly miss my flight.

As I passed by Brussels-International on my way to Charleroi, I wrote in my journal, "It's just after 4. I have a 2 hour ride ahead of me, and somehow I get the feeling that I won't be flying out at 6:20 pm this evening." It was torture knowing this and thinking about it the whole way. Knowing that I had just screwed myself over. I was still desperate enough to at least consider if there was any possible way to make it in time. "Perhaps a later flight, with an extra wad of cash out of my pocket, will have to suffice. I mean, if I were to take a cab from Brussels-Midi station to Charleroi airport instead of waiting for the next train there, there's no telling whether it would be any quicker, whether I would actually make it in time for check-in. Not only that, but taking that cab would probably cost me more than a seat on the next available flight. So I suppose that's not such a great option." It would have cost me 100 euros. I checked.

Coming into Brussels-Nord I thought to myself, if I can make it to Charleroi in 20 minutes... I might make it in time. Inconceivable. I had to get across Brussels first, then to another city altogether, Charleroi. So I gave up thinking about it. Not without writing the following: "Well, if you don't learn from the first lesson, then you damn well better make the best of the second one."

That's right, this was not my first missed flight. I also missed my flight to Canada only a month and a half before. Take it in... I'm not afraid to admit when I've made a fool of myself. Just don't expect to hear about it again.

"If I remember correctly, there is one more Ryanair flight later today that may have a seat open. Let's hope so. Otherwise I will have to either wait till tomorrow or find another flight that goes anywhere near Rome. I don't care where, really. I'm ready for an adventure. But I WILL get to Rome." Yes, I would make it to Rome. Though not until after spending some time in the grime of Charleroi and a night on an airport floor.

"My first impression of Charleroi was shaped by the sight of blood stains running up the station steps, leading to a little dried up pool at the top. I noted the shifty glances of several less-than-friendly looking characters while waiting for the bus, and kept to myself." Traveling all over the place on your own sort of teaches you how to keep to yourself really well... how to look confident without looking cocky, how to meet peoples eyes without entering into a confrontation. Don't bother trying to ignore these bastards, no, that's nearly as bad as staring them down. Just notice them and move on. Act as if you've caught this same bus a million times before.

"French grunge. I need to take a piss, and for some reason I wouldn't feel the least bit out of place if I up and releived myself right here against this post beside me. One day... one day I will make it to Rome. Hopefully tonight and before transit stops running. FUCK."

For some crazy reason, I was feeling bitter in Charleroi.

Well, I finally made it to the airport after a 20 minute bus ride. I found the next flight into Rome left the next morning at 6, and would cost me 75 euros. That's more than the round trip originally cost me. I would have to stay the night on the airport floor. If you have ever done this, you will know that it is much better if you have some company... so naturally I kept my eyes open. Maybe I would meet a new friend. First I met this French girl named Fouzia, and we had a good time chatting it up. That was nice to pass the time. She was waiting for her ride which hadn't shown because, alas, he had went to Brussels-International instead of Brussels-Charleroi. That gave me a little comfort, I have to admit.


After trying to get some sleep over night in a corner of the airport behind this big sign, I lined up for check-in at about 4:20 am. While in line, I met up with a Portuguese acquaintance I had met while partying in Leuven only one night before. Small world. He was headed back to Milan, where he was studying. So after we had checked in we went together and had some breakfast inside the departures area. After suggesting I come up to Milan for a few days to party with him, André and I parted ways.


The Ryanair flight was a little more nerve wracking than most I have been on. Ok, it was the most nerve wracking flight I've ever been on. The take-off left my stomach behind on the tarmac, and when we landed it felt like there wasn't even any tarmac on the runway. So bumpy, and so fast. But I made it to Rome. After all that, I stepped out into the Roman sun and the warm breese blew all the stress away. I made it.


Coming soon, I will tell you about my first days in Rome. Lots of adventures await being told!
Thanks for reading... :)

Roaming Roma: A Prologue

Hello everyone! I am currently sitting in an internet café in ROMA. This is my second day here and already I am having a great time. I've met lots of people and only begun to see the numerous wonders of this city. I would like to tell you all about it, and I have written much already... already over 20 pages of my journal are filled. However, I cannot write quality posts in this café... I need to be alone and with a decent computer. So all I will say now is that there are posts coming, many of them. I intend to write a post about each day. But what I have decided to do is post them, one a day, starting the day after I get back. So basically you can follow my trip with a 2 week delay.

It is only my second day and I have already had a couple of crazy adventures. And I am just getting started. Needless to say, you will be in for some exciting reading once I get back.

See you then...

Ciao!

Running through Europe

It's been a while since my last post. I guess I've gotten out of the habit. But in the spirit of the new year the only right thing to do is get back into it and rebuild the good habit of writing regularly. And that's just what I've decided to talk about in this blog: building up good habits and breaking down the not-so-good ones.

The other day I was going for a jog. The sun was shining and the air was cool, yet just warm enough that I wasn't too cold or overheated. I listened to upbeat music and you know I had a smile on my face. On top of all that, there's something about taking a jog through the back streets of a really old European town that really grabs me. At the top of a long, gradual slope, I noticed three little boys. They were laughing and playing, and one of them held out a sign with an arrow on it pointing into an alley. So, naturally, as I jogged past I swerved and started going into the alley, winking at the sign-boy on my way past. Of course they loved it, and as I continued back down the street they ran along behind laughing the whole time. I have to say it was the nicest moment I've had yet this year.

Going jogging has always done something special to me. It allows me to set aside those thoughts that cloud my mind and those anxieties that cloud my actions. When I don't have the patience to sit in meditation, it's jogging that brings me back to the peace of the present moment. Not only that, it also inspires me to challenge myself in other activities. For the past couple of weeks I've been jogging every other day in an effort to rebuild that good habit, and so far I've noticed changes in the way I think about myself and how I go about my business. Instead of going through each day not really caring what happens so long as its enjoyable, I begin to seek out the things that give me the most enjoyment and sense of reward. I begin to challenge myself more. That same determination that I feel when pushing myself to run 5 or 10 minutes longer than I feel comfortable with comes out in the other things I do, like studying and socializing. And every time I get out there, it gets just a little bit easier.

I have to admit, for a while now my will power has been suffering a bit. I've tended to be apathetic about what I do with myself, thinking that it will all work out in one way or another. Well I still believe that, it will all work out. But lately I've started to question this carefree perspective. Now I've started to think that I'd prefer it to all work out in MY way. I want to choose my destiny, not have it handed to me. I don't want to waste my time doing nothing and forgetting all the big things I've done in the past, but rather pay tribute to them by spending every moment achieving new accomplishments. I am especially inspired these days, and I'm going to milk it for all it's worth.

So, right now I have set a few goals for myself. I can't tell you about all of them since some are more personal than others. But I can tell you about a few. Since this is exam time, my top priority is to study better than I usually do and do well on my exams. Also, as I already said, I will run more regularly and stay active. I want to socialize more, since usually I spend a lot of time at home like a hermit... regardless of what numerous facebook pics seem to suggest! It's true that I have lots of friends and acquaintances here and we know how to kick it. Hell, maybe 'more' isn't the right word, rather, I want to socialize 'better'. I'm so introverted sometimes that I think a lot of people miss out on the sides of me that I'm really proud of, like my spirituality and creativity.

Finally, I have set the goal to write much more than I have been. I intend to write regularly, even daily. Not on the blog, but between the blog, my personal journal, my creative writing, and... especially... my thesis. It's something that I will have to focus on after exams in a big way. But not immediately after exams. No, I've planned myself a little trip: I'm a goin' to Roma!! My plan: to write extensively every day that I am there. I will do mad sightseeing and write about every impression that comes up. I will put myself in interesting social situations and then write about it. In fact, about the only time that I will forget about writing is when I'm letting loose with new people from the hostel and from the nearby university. It should be really great, so you will enjoy reading about all of it on here. If possible, I will update the blog each day with new posts, but otherwise I will post a series of blogs shortly after my trip detailing some (not all, never all!) of my escapades in the great city.

I must say, this trip is going to be an exercise in self-development. Since I've been in Europe I have only planned one other trip, which was to Germany to see my family there. Other than that everything has been close enough so as to not really require any planning. I'm starting off this year right. Plan, challenge, believe, succeed... enough to make some hurl. But also, enough to make some others smile... and anyone who makes it this far through the current post is more likely to be in the second camp.

Thanks for reading, keep it up and so will I!

24h Velo... and 6 years of training

I remember the first time I heard of Leuven.

It was during my first year at university, six years ago. It wasn't actually about Leuven as such, but rather about the 24 hour bike race in Louvain-La-Neuve. It was during a lecture on transgression, festival, and jouissance. And naturally, I was immediately interested. My professor told the class about the moment when the self control and restraint of the participants dissolves and the party as a whole takes on a will of its own. He told us about how the town closed off all the roads, leaving access only for the numerous emergency vehicles standing by. "People die almost every year!", he said. He told us about drinking rituals involving regurgitated libations and the complete disregard for the usual repulsion one feels for human excrement of all sorts.

Naturally, he was exaggerating.

And yet, his descriptions weren't so far from the reality--or hyper-reality--that I experienced at the 24h Velo. By the end of the night I had rode drunk through the circuit inside a giant papier maché model of Aladdin's Genie. I had started a mosh pit with some Belgian punks. I had shielded a complete stranger as she stooped beside me to relieve herself in the street. And, most notably, I had rubbed the smooth head of a bald girl (also a stranger), as if it were the lamp of a wish-granter.

But wait, back up... I'm getting ahead of myself.

We arrived at Louvain-La-Neuve at noon, so that we could witness the beginning of the race at 1pm. In the mean time, my friend Gabriel gave me a brief tour of his home university and town. Already there were many people on the street, but he told me that by night fall every street would be as crowded as a dancehall. We walked down the large lake where students went to relax and enjoy BBQ on the banks. As we looked over the placid water Gabriel remarked on the relative silence of the moment, asking me if we had the expression "the calm before the storm" in English. I knew exactly what he meant.

I ordered my first of many drinks just after 2. At this time, the scene was still pretty tame, with activities being held for kids. Student groups had to hold some sort of children's activity, and in return they were allowed to have their own bar for a couple of hours later on. I met several of Gabriel's friends in a wine-tasting club, whose children's activity was something like a mix between wine-tasting and the Pepsi-Coke challenge. Deciding whether a drink was regular or diet doesn't seem quite as fun as the pie-throwing activity run by his other friends!

After meeting his friends in the childrens' area, we headed over to the area geared towards our own age group: the university parking lot. This lot was converted into a festival center, with a grandstand and bars set up all around the perimeter, each representing a particular province of Belgium and offering a unique drink from that place. The idea, I was told, is to do a grand tour, taking a drink from each of the 20 or so booths. I think I made it to about 10 before heading to a different part of town. As we tried some local drinks, we watched a pudding-eating contest on the bandstand. This was nearly enough to make me return all my drinks in the most ungracious manner... if you get my drift. Competitors had a row of pudding cups, and on the mark they had to gulp down each cup. The pros were swallowing each cup in one single gulp. Quarter-finalists only had to worry about six cups each... but the finalists, one big guy and one not-so-big girl... had to swallow back 12 cups each. The whole process only took them about 90 seconds, and involved a well-used barf-bag. In the end it was in fact the girl who had won. Slight disgust turned to slight intrigue as someone exclaimed, "it is amazing, all the things a French woman can do with her mouth..."

Shortly after the pudding fiasco, Gabriel and I decided we were drunk enough to ride a lap of the circuit. We waited our turns and then climbed under the giant papier maché Genie, and mounted our two attached bikes. Already we knew that it would be a long ride... his gear change clanked at every rotation and one of my pedal shafts was hopelessly bent out of shape, so that one leg bowed out every time the pedal made a turn. Still we were very determined, and even more intoxicated. Aside from running into a barricade or two, we were superb. We even passed some other bikes! We finished the circuit in about 25 minutes, a full 5 minutes quicker than the two who went before us.


Later on we went to a rock concert and eventually to an electronica/house concert. At the rock concert I saw some guys who were lightly jumping and bumping, and so I decided to show them how we mosh in Canada. Within seconds a group of 6-8 guys were skanking away, bodies slamming and fists flying. It was absolutely wonderful.

During the concert I went away to relieve myself behind a beer tent. Note: this is not in any way out of the general view of the crowds, just slightly less visible than most other places. As I was going, this girl walks up to me and stares at me. I say, jokingly, "care to join?" and without saying a word she comes right up beside me, drops her pants, and squats. What did I do, you might ask? Well, being the gentleman that I am, I finished up and turned my back to her, shielding her from the crowd until she got up. "Merci!" And off she went.

Try to imagine an entire town closed off for a party with about 20-30 thousand students... and NO public toilets in sight. Needless to say, she wasn't the only one we saw squatting in the street!

At around 3 am, we moved on to the electronica stage. The music was bumping and the crowd was going mad. It was in this crowd that I had my most precious moment of the night. Let me first explain something. In a crowd with so many people, the key to making encounters of any sort is to set yourself apart from everyone else somehow, whether it be by wearing rave sticks or flashy clothes or dying your hair a wild colour. Well, everyone has hair, right? So it is no surprise that the first person to catch my attention was an attractive young girl with absolutely no hair on her head. I knew at once my mission: I MUST PET THAT GIRL'S HEAD... if it's the last thing I do.

So, I went up to the girl and told her that nothing would make me happier than to, if only just once, pet her head. And naturally, she refused. I continued to entreat her and she continued to turn me down, though by this point I could tell I had caught her interest. When I saw that she was starting to enjoy this little game, I excused myself and found my friends for a drink. After a little while I returned to the girl, and explained to her that my friends were eager to leave and that if she didn't grant me my single wish, then my whole night would be just a little bit spoiled. She grabbed my hand and rubbed it against the back of her head... at last! What a happy moment. With that I told her she had made my day and wished her a good night.

As I lay in some dorm room couch that night/morning, nursing my throbbing brain, I thought to myself, I made it. After six years I finally experienced the jouissance of the 24h Velo. Without another thought I slipped away into unconsciousness.

Welcome to Tiensestraat 276

The first item of action when moving to any city is securing a living space. So from my first morning in Leuven until the moment I signed a contract, my sole concern was to find a "studentenkamer". These are private rooms subsidized by the University. They consist of a small room usually with furnishings and a bed, commonly with shared bathroom and kitchen facilities. The reason I sought these rooms over studios, flats and apartments is simple: they're cheap, like the budgie. Most went at around 230-270 Euros, and from 300-350 Euros for a room with a private bathroom. On top of this there is often added a 50 Euro utility bill.
I found a place for 205 Euros per month, all in. Out of the eight places I had already seen, this was by far the cheapest, and none of the others gave me a private shower and 3 metres of windows looking out over the rooftops of the city. The views of most kamers (rooms) are limited to the building on the other side of the street.

I first found the place as I was walking down Tiensestraat looking for signs that said, "Kamer te huur". Smelling the warm, yeasty scent of a bakery, I noticed in the window just such a sign. And so I inquired within, taking note of that scent that I would smell every morning for the next 11 months. When I asked for a viewing, the woman behind the counter gave me a set of keys and in broken English instructed me to go to the top floor, that she could not come up with me and tend to her shop at the same time. By the time I reached the room, I understood that the 75 stairs may have been a factor in her choice to stay in the shop. The stairwell had water damage and some mould... not a good sign. But it was clear that work was being done, for the thick wallpaper was being stripped off for future replacement. There were three things that I first noticed when I entered the room. First, it was a dusty mess. Second, the floor is so sloped that it takes my skateboard 2.3 seconds to roll from one side of the room to the other. The third thing, however, put all other concerns into perspective: a large desk facing a span of windows 3 metres long. From this new writing desk I could look out over the city of Leuven and contemplate.

Only two doors down from me is a small supermarket with everything I need for day-to-day provisions. Good thing, too, for I have no kitchen and no fridge or freezer. I shall purchase a hotplate or an electric grill, and buy fresh food daily. Hopefully this will in fact help me save, since I will never be able to hoard and always know the cost of each individual meal. Living cheap is a life skill. Gotta practice it as much as possible.

My second day in Leuven, I had found a perfect place for myself. Hem duril'a. That day I had already went through the aggravating process of registering as a student at the university. But the biggest task of the day was carrying two large luggage bags weighing 23 kg each from the hostel to the stairwell. This 20 minute portage was not extremely enjoyable. I dragged them through a construction zone, a train station tunnel, and down 3 blocks on the ringroad. Then came the 75 stairs. After getting my bags up into the room, I sighed in relief, hem duril'a.
There was much to be done, however. The room was a dust pool, and so I set about the three hour task of dusting and sweeping to every corner. By the end I had collected a veritable mountain of dust.

But finally I could remove my scarf from my face and breath easy in this room that through my labour had become more of a home to me. Since then I have cleaned the shower and the sink, the windows and mirror, and all the furniture. I have purchased a rug for outside my shower door to prevent water from spreading to other areas in my room. Aside from that, I have placed in the room many posters, a degree, and an opened box of Kellogg's Smacks. The nesting process is nearing completion.

My place, as I have explained, is in a very convenient location. Not only am I near stores and bars, but I am less than ten minutes from both the philosophy department and the skatepark. Let's just say I've decided it's worth my 205 Euros per month. With the first month and security deposit made, all I have left to do is meet the neighbors...

"A Friend is Better than a Stranger"

Well,
Here I am in Leuven.
After five years of steadily growing anticipation, I have finally arrived in that place I once heard of in a classroom back home. Now I anticipate new classrooms, and do what I can to make my new room a suitable home. It has been five days since I drove with my cousin Huub from Maasbree to Leuven and signed in at the de Blauput hostel. Since then I have registered as a K.U. Leuven student, I have secured a room for then next 11 months, and I have registered as a Leuven resident at the Stadhuis (City Hall). Not to mention, I have recieved lessons in Arabic and shared in interfaith dialogue with a doctor from Sudan. I have discussed the disappointing direction that American capitalism is headed towards... with an undergraduate student from Ohio. I have shared excitement about coming to a new city and shared concerns about culture shock with a girl from England. Needless to say, the K.U.Leuven posters weren't lying when they proclaimed that my experience in Leuven would be an international one!
My first day in Leuven happened to be a Belgian national holiday and the final day of a three-week long celebration in Leuven. Midway operators yelled out the Flemish equivalent of "Everybody wins!", and vendors listed off the benefits of their products. To my horror, every main street was as crowded as a Disney park at Christmas. On my first morning on this first day of my year in Leuven, I was not so surprised that there were people of all ages drinking in the street. What did surprise me, however, was the sheer number of people doing it at 10 a.m. on a Monday.
By noon 40-year-old couples staggered in each other's arms, doing everything in their power to walk in a semi-straight line and not spill their beer. Bands played on street corners, where crowds would dance and sing along to a somewhat unnatural mix of Belgian folk music, dancehall, and nineties American pop. With only the slightest hint of seriousness, I once again ask myself, what have I gotten myself into this time??
The answer came later that evening in the form of a very moving conversation with a medical doctor named Amir from Central Sudan. The night before, I had noticed that my roommate at the hostel had a prayer shawl and rug, so I wrote a note to him while he was out:

"Hello, my name is Josh and I'm from Canada. I hope we meet sometime soon. Cheers, salam!"

Salam is one of the only Arabic words I know, and perhaps it is the most useful for making new friends: it is a holy greeting that essentially means peace be with you.

Anyway, the conversation I had with Amir on the next night was most certainly opened by this very simple and yet infinitely complex word. I shall not explain in detail what we discussed, but I can tell you it involved sharing our ways of personal prayer, a comparison of our respective faiths, as well as a proper exchange of food. In exchange for one of his granola bars, I gave Amir a fresh pear from Huub's garden. With this he broke the day's fast (Ramadan). We discussed two reasons or justifications for fasting. The first justification is simply that fasting is the instruction of God. In a world of faith, there is no greater justification. The second justification is perhaps more aligned to strictly scientific outlooks: to limit the satisfaction of appetites for food, intoxicants, and sexual pleasure increases spiritual appetite for understanding, wisdom, and awakening. Such a concept was not new to me, as it is the 'second reason' for so many other mystical traditions, be they Christian, Jewish, Hindi or Buddhist. I welcomed it as a healthy reminder after a long day of festivities and a long week of jovial beer drinking with Thijs and Liesbeth in Maasbree!

Finally came the answer to my earlier question concerning my current situation. My heart was tickled when Amir taught me my second Arabic phrase: Hem duril'a. This utterance essentially means "I am satisfied". One says this when they finish a prayer, a meal, or when they get caught up in happiness, sadness, frustration, and so on. It is a way of accepting with open arms one's fate. An ecstatic moment elapsed as Amir promised me that he would, whenever I requested, teach me Arabic free of charge. At this moment the two of us understood that we had made a very special bond. Hem duril'a. We finished the evening with prayer: him on his rug and me bed-side.

It seems that the two other people I met may becomes friends during the year, albeit perhaps not friends with such a spiritual link. Perhaps. The future is yet-to-come. I met a German philosophy undergrad from Ohio in the hostel as well. He had spent the previous year studying in Austria, and surely it had rubbed in. He and I shared our views on North American media, consumerism, and corporate control. Our discussion was not limited to Walmart, small-town quarterback stardom, and the complete obliviousness of a large section of the population to what is really going on in the world, beyond the shield of corporate-controlled media. My new friend decided that perhaps it was growing up in such an environment that led him to such a great interest in Marxist and Socialist theory.

The third person I had a good conversation with was a law student from England here on exchange. I met her at the 'Stadhuis', the City Hall, to register as a resident. We discussed our mutual early onset of culture shock, as she told me that I was the first person she was able to have a real sort of conversation with... one not in embarrassed, broken English. It was nice to not have to worry about the language barrier for a bit. I suppose I shall meet her and her friends soon, and together we can, so to speak, break that barrier down over several alcoholic beverages.

Something I said to Amir quite perfectly sums up my attitude during these first days in Leuven: "A friend is better than a stranger."

A day in Maastricht

Maastricht: impressive architecture, beautiful college girls, and tasty apricot pie.
Of course there's much more to discover in the Limburg capital, but one must not deny the power of first impressions. During my initial visit to Maastricht, I was struck by the sense of youthful energy given by the many students of the city's university, along with the firm sense of tradition offered by the city's buldings, cobblestone streets, and ancient city walls.
Liesbeth, my friend and relative with whom I am staying for my first week in Europe, brought me to the city to check out the sights and to visit the Brasserie Bonhomme, a little restaurant owned by her relative. Bonhomme is a fairly new eatery found on 'Het Bat', built on the banks of the Maas only two years ago. Already it has become a well established business. I am told the Limburg province is known for its pies... well, Bonhomme is no exception to the rule! My first dish there was the apricot pie, for this is a favorite in my family which I have never tried. If you are ever in Maastricht, visit Bonhomme and order apricot pie!

After pie, Liesbeth and I took a walking tour of an old section of Maastricht. There is an information centre near Bonhomme which offers a guide pamphlet with information about some of the major attractions of the city. Even without a guide, however, one will quickly notice the distinct style of architecture in Maastricht. Rows of multi-level buildings sandwiched together line the streets, many of which are slightly leaning due to the age of their foundations. Because they are so close, each building supports the other. Even the newer buildings are designed in such a way that they will not be too different from the old ones, and many old buildings are renovated rather than removed.





There is another distinct characteristic of the architecture in Maastricht: the very soft, sand-colored bricks of which most of the oldest buildings are composed. These bricks are made from marl, dug from the nearby grottos. At one point in time Maastricht and all of the Netherlands were completely under water, and so marl formed from the sediment at the bottom of the sea. For this reason the bricks are soft enough for passers-by to carve their names into! On the other hand, such a soft brick allows for artisans to carve ornate decorations into walls and facing. Aside from decorating the exteriors of the several exquisite churches, marl stone decorations are also found on private residences, reflecting the nobility of the past inhabitants of each house.




When I wasn't looking up at the facing of the buildings around me, I was checking out the many fellow students in this town. Maastricht is filled with beautiful college girls! Woohoo! One of my favorite things in life, and I'm not ashamed to say it. It was exciting to get a first glimpse of student life in Europe, only two days into my time here. And let me say, the prospects were wonderful. I look forward to studying at university here...