Train to the border with Germany (one hopes). A young lady payed for my fair unexpectedly, as I was about to be disembarked against my will. I'd played my fumbling with language and Eurocents and was about to be ejected from the vehicle when her good samaritan heart leaped to my rescue.
I'll need to play the bumbling tourist until I reach my destination I fear. I get the impression that other passengers would rather see me ejected, so I must play it well until the swell calms down.
I've hitched/hiked so far in the last couple of weeks, I must take much better care of my heavily abused lower appendages, lest the blisters and pre-sores begin to fest to an impossible degree.
I may hike through the night until I reach Germany where I hopefully could take advantage of thier 24 hour train services.
*I was unable to hike to the border, but I had a fantastic view of the Milky Way galaxy from the northern hemisphere; a sight I had not known before and one that I am happy to have experienced.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Berlin
Berlin:
Sleeping under the stars, drinking cheap liquor and wearing wholes through my shoes. A true hobo lifestyle. My days are my own while I await certain days on which I have non-obligatory appointments. It didn't take me long to discover and take advantage of the lack of securiy infrastructure in the supermarketsy so my food and wine were sorted. I'd also located a secure and quiet place for the night in an out of the waz corner of Tiergarten. I managed to acuire a trendy pair of sunglasses to soften the appearance of my scruffy beard and unruly hair. It manages the trick, and also creates a bit of confusion amongst people as to how to regard me. Am I a bum or a scruffy looking artist? Oh it's easy to asses people by thier appearance but not always with the accuracy that is assumed.
Berlin is an easy city in which to live without money. But I have to leave soon and find something new.
* Somebody else had also discovered my space, and had made quite a home, having lived in Berlin while working and studying for an undidisclosed number of years. We had thorough and deep conversations, and exchanged knowledge and experiences of living homeless in Berlin.
Sleeping under the stars, drinking cheap liquor and wearing wholes through my shoes. A true hobo lifestyle. My days are my own while I await certain days on which I have non-obligatory appointments. It didn't take me long to discover and take advantage of the lack of securiy infrastructure in the supermarketsy so my food and wine were sorted. I'd also located a secure and quiet place for the night in an out of the waz corner of Tiergarten. I managed to acuire a trendy pair of sunglasses to soften the appearance of my scruffy beard and unruly hair. It manages the trick, and also creates a bit of confusion amongst people as to how to regard me. Am I a bum or a scruffy looking artist? Oh it's easy to asses people by thier appearance but not always with the accuracy that is assumed.
Berlin is an easy city in which to live without money. But I have to leave soon and find something new.
* Somebody else had also discovered my space, and had made quite a home, having lived in Berlin while working and studying for an undidisclosed number of years. We had thorough and deep conversations, and exchanged knowledge and experiences of living homeless in Berlin.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Gadding Europe. Short Stories. Amsterdam.
I arrived in Amsterdam with no plan. Upon exiting the airport I surmised the best or perhaps moste convenient entry into the city consisted of hopping onto a bus and heading for the centre of town from whence I could reflect and consider my options from a more convenient point. On the bus I met a frightened lady who asked me of all people where I could purchase a ticket for the bus trip. I replied I had no idea and that she should sit back and enjoy the ride. She smiled and resltessly settled in for the journey. Other passengers accompanying us where 3 large europeans who appeared to be of the age for military service. Loud lads whose prescence dominated the bus, they obviously had a cameraderie which had lasted either a long time or through some tough situations. Fortunately they departed shortly after they had arrived.
The young lady, after a nervous glance in my direction, approached the bus driver with the question she previously put to me and purchased her ticket for the ride.
And so I had arrived in Amsterdam Centrum.
My first thoughts turned to where I would be sleeping.
Having no contacts in this city, I was on my own and relying on my meagre store of wits to get me through my time. I firstly resolved that if all else failed I would resort to the charity of christians and crash in a church aisle until somebody noticed me and either kicked me out abruptly or offered me assistance in the form of at least information about where the nearest shelter could be located. This never came to pass, as I soon realised that the churches I located where more centres for tourism than places of worship.
After sitting and contemplating over a cigarette, I strolled through the city to get my bearings as well as a feel for the life of the citizenry.
The young lady, after a nervous glance in my direction, approached the bus driver with the question she previously put to me and purchased her ticket for the ride.
And so I had arrived in Amsterdam Centrum.
My first thoughts turned to where I would be sleeping.
Having no contacts in this city, I was on my own and relying on my meagre store of wits to get me through my time. I firstly resolved that if all else failed I would resort to the charity of christians and crash in a church aisle until somebody noticed me and either kicked me out abruptly or offered me assistance in the form of at least information about where the nearest shelter could be located. This never came to pass, as I soon realised that the churches I located where more centres for tourism than places of worship.
After sitting and contemplating over a cigarette, I strolled through the city to get my bearings as well as a feel for the life of the citizenry.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
"Hamas has made it very difficult for the people of Gaza to live a relatively normal life"
-Condoleeza Rice, US Secretary of State, 2nd January 2009
"In democratic elections in Palestinian territories backed by the United States in 2006, Hamas won a landslide victory in parliamentary voting.
After the elections, the U.S. government asked the Palestinian Authority to return $50 million in donations for infrastructure improvements. The United States cut off direct, nonhumanitarian aid to Gaza but more than doubled humanitarian aid it funnels through non-governmental groups and the United Nations.
Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority and a member of Hamas' rival Fatah party, dissolved Gaza's Hamas-led government and declared a state of emergency in 2007. Hamas took control of the territory shortly afterward."
-CNN 'Bush blames Hamas for Gaza conflict' 2nd Jan. 2009
"By spending its resources on rocket launchers instead of roads and schools, Hamas has demonstrated that it has no intention of serving the Palestinian people."
-G.W.Bush, ibid.
"The cost of war (Iraq and Afghanistan) is estimated to be about $170 billion for the 2009 spending alone. Christopher Hellman and Travis Sharp also discuss the US fiscal year 2009 Pentagon spending request and note that “Congress has already approved nearly $700 billion in supplemental funding for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and an additional $126 billion in FY'08 war funding is still pending before the House and Senate.”
-http://www.globalissues.org/article/75/world-military-spending sited 3rd Jan.2009, Published 1st March 2008 by Anup Shah
"The (Israeli) defense budget for 2008 will be NIS 51.3 billion, thereby setting yet another new record for defense spending. This figure represents over 16% of the entire NIS 314 billion state budget for next year, which the Knesset approved yesterday after passing the accompanying Economic Arrangements Law the day before. It also represents about 7% of gross domestic product..... The base defense budget for 2008 is only NIS 49.35 billion, as recommended by the Brodet Committee on defense spending. However, in the last quarter of 2008, the Defense Ministry will also be able to use $150 million of the U.S. military aid for 2009."- Zvi Zrahiya, Haaretz.com, 28th Dec. 2008. Text in brackets is my own.
-Condoleeza Rice, US Secretary of State, 2nd January 2009
"In democratic elections in Palestinian territories backed by the United States in 2006, Hamas won a landslide victory in parliamentary voting.
After the elections, the U.S. government asked the Palestinian Authority to return $50 million in donations for infrastructure improvements. The United States cut off direct, nonhumanitarian aid to Gaza but more than doubled humanitarian aid it funnels through non-governmental groups and the United Nations.
Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority and a member of Hamas' rival Fatah party, dissolved Gaza's Hamas-led government and declared a state of emergency in 2007. Hamas took control of the territory shortly afterward."
-CNN 'Bush blames Hamas for Gaza conflict' 2nd Jan. 2009
"By spending its resources on rocket launchers instead of roads and schools, Hamas has demonstrated that it has no intention of serving the Palestinian people."
-G.W.Bush, ibid.
"The cost of war (Iraq and Afghanistan) is estimated to be about $170 billion for the 2009 spending alone. Christopher Hellman and Travis Sharp also discuss the US fiscal year 2009 Pentagon spending request and note that “Congress has already approved nearly $700 billion in supplemental funding for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and an additional $126 billion in FY'08 war funding is still pending before the House and Senate.”
-http://www.globalissues.org/article/75/world-military-spending sited 3rd Jan.2009, Published 1st March 2008 by Anup Shah
"The (Israeli) defense budget for 2008 will be NIS 51.3 billion, thereby setting yet another new record for defense spending. This figure represents over 16% of the entire NIS 314 billion state budget for next year, which the Knesset approved yesterday after passing the accompanying Economic Arrangements Law the day before. It also represents about 7% of gross domestic product..... The base defense budget for 2008 is only NIS 49.35 billion, as recommended by the Brodet Committee on defense spending. However, in the last quarter of 2008, the Defense Ministry will also be able to use $150 million of the U.S. military aid for 2009."- Zvi Zrahiya, Haaretz.com, 28th Dec. 2008. Text in brackets is my own.
*Regards to Propaghandi for their educational lyrics.
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