Copenhagen March

Posting awfully late, so any updates about the "deal" that was struck in Copenhagen will be stale. Those of you that are curious (if you're not curious you should be) will already have read the reams that have been written, so I won't go into it here.
Needless to say, the delegates failed to step up to the plate and surprise everyone with courageous leadership, bold moves, and real solutions to what is most certainly (and without scientific doubt) a global climate crisis. Their message to us seems clear: Solve it yourselves, because your governments are incompetent. Thanks, guys. We will try.

In addition to many workshops, meetings, and other awesome events, I checked out the march that featured 100,000 people and every cause imaginable.

Communists? Of course. It still surprises me how the rest of the world views communism as a legitimate if a bit misguided political movement (much like republicans) rather than an insult.

The green energy folks were there too, sense of humor intact.

Anarchists never miss a march.

Reminding the crowd "Respect our police" and "Don't Be Idiots", some Danes turned out to with some always prudent advice.

The Jubilee Debt relief peeps were out in force.

Role playing enthusiasts, welcome at any event, were present and accounted for with a reminder that we need to role a natural 20 critical-hit in the fight against climate change.

I originally thought this was a pride flag, but after seeing a lot of rainbows in many context here in Europe I'm starting to think that maybe it has more of a "diversity" connotation than an expressly gay one.

Marijuana supporters again remind everyone their theory that there is a very simple answer to many of the worlds ills...

This guy might not have a huge sign and bunch of people carrying it, but my feeling is that he is on the right track.

good idea

This picture was taken through a Copenhagen store's front door. "Look guys, here's the till, its empty, please don't break a window for no reason."

I have also left the figurative till in the window for the past month. But there are posts coming soon.

Climate Scoreboard

Sorry this tool doesn't look great here, but click on the climate interactive logo and check it out. It is a real time update of the climate talks in Copenhagen... It puts together all the different proposals and treaties on the table and synthesizes them into where we're at right now. It's basically a short hand calculator for where they're at in Copenhagen.

Warning

1992!? How have I (we!) not heard of this?

http://deoxy.org/sciwarn.htm

If you don't click through (but you should), this is what's up... 1,700 of the world's leading scientists, including the majority of Nobel laureates in the sciences, want to tell us something:

"Human beings and the natural world are on a collision course. Human activities inflict harsh and often irreversible damage on the environment and on critical resources. If not checked, many of our current practices put at serious risk the future that we wish for human society and the plant and animal kingdoms, and may so alter the living world that it will be unable to sustain life in the manner that we know. Fundamental changes are urgent if we are to avoid the collision our present course will bring about."
(emphasis mine of course)

We give people Noble prizes because we deem them to be the smartest among us. I would venture that these guys don't just go signing their name to whatever white paper passes through their inbox. But MOST of them signed this, along with a lot of other top dogs. Why wasn't this news story of the decade? The guys that spend all their time studying natural systems are very worried. Or WERE very worried, 17 years ago. I'm sure their feeling much better now seeing the way things have played out.

COP 15 starts tomorrow. I wonder if our "leaders" feel the same sense of urgency our best scientists felt 17 years ago... Good grief.

What are we going to do?

Poland

The ferry from Karlskrona lands in Gdynia, a small seaside town that boasts the world's longest wooden pier. This picture is actually from the final few hours of the trip waiting to return home, which is why I look so Authentically Polish.


The night before we left I found out that there was an ultimate tournament going on a couple hours south in the city of Bydgoszcz. After an astounding email turnaround time, especially for an ultimate player, Lucjan replied and told me I was welcome. So first thing off the boat I jumped on the train and went to meet my team, Astrodisco. We had a great time (4-0!), and it was awesome to see the spirit of the game alive and well on this side of the world. These guys take spirit seriously, every game ended with an arm in arm circle and what seemed like some solid heckling.



Tuna asked if long johns under shorts were the uniform for Ultimate...

The city of Gdansk is an amazing place. I admit that Bydgoszcz was a bit disappointing architecturally speaking, largely square gray concrete. However, the Poles in Gdansk (and in Bydgoszcz, actually) informed me that the ugliest town in all of Poland is in fact Bydgoszcz. Gdansk in contrast was very regal, and a great walking city. We also had fantastic food (perogies and borscht!), and the restaurant proprietors seemed to delight in giving the goofy foreigners vodka for aperitif and digestivo with every meal.

I didn't find anyplace, however, offering Polish Sausage...

Actually, it's pronounced "Lek".

During All Saints day, thousands of people go the graveyard to decorate their family tombstones with candles and flowers. We went to one of the biggest cemeteries in Poland with a new Polish friend (see below). It was amazing, like walking through constellations. In this case especially pictures feel inadequate in their failure to capture the scale. It took us nearly two hours to see half of the cemetery, and the entire place was glowing bright.

I met Michal through couchsurfing.org (highly recommended site!) and though I didn't sleep on his floor, he was an excellent guide for myself and the crew. He was the one who told us about this graveyard, then showed us how to properly drink and saunter and identify gypsy graves.

Ferry to Poland

On Halloween weekend 8 of us took the ferry to Poland. Much to our good fortune, there was a live band on the ferry, as well as a dance floor and cheap booze. Good fun was had by all. Especially by me when the vocalist channeled Mini Fresh and rocked the blow up guitar.

Good to see the proactive approach to sanitation by the kitchen staff.

John and Giulianna struggled with the interactive mix and match game, the boy beat both their scores combined, and I waited for the three Curious Georges to come alive and devour them. Those eyes followed you... this is almost got filed under frightening things.

The majority of the passengers on the boat were truckers, and they appreciated the band, dance floor, and cheap booze very much. Their enthusiasm for the final countdown rivals even the mighty John Hammertoes in a kareoke box. I want to invite checkered shirt guy to every wedding I go to from now on. Or at least steal every single one of his moves.

Halloween

Halloween was interesting this year, with the ferry halloween party, seeing trick or treaters in Poland and Sweden, and my second straight year as a "zombie", which I feel has replaced "ghost" as easiest/lamest costume. But I was short on options. Our new found frisbee friends (see poland post) took us to a great house party. Ola, at left, was dressed as Marylin Monroe. When I pointed out that she died of an overdose and not zombie attack, Ola said "Anything happens on Halloween!" Too right. By the way, the white on our faces is pounded up chalk. I was hesitant, but when you're already going as "zombie" you have to make some sacrifices.

Trick or treaters I met outside my house on the way to the ferry...

More trick or treaters, who were kind enough to indulge me in some translation. I think "Gudies" sounds far more onomatopoeic that "treats" for what it's worth.

Wannas Art Gallery

Wannas is a very cool art gallery in a rural area about 2 hours from Karlskrona. Situated on an old dairy farm that is still in production, there are dozens of installations in old outbuildings and throughout the forest grounds. All of these pieces were tagged with small placards just as they would be in traditional art galleries. I regret forgetting to take down names, so that now I cannot give credit where it's due.

There are several of these ceramic stumps throughout the park.

It is a very cool scene, to be wandering through the woods and come upon, say a mass of floating clear balloons. Or a small cottage with no door and sounds of laughter coming from inside. Or a matte black rock. A tree with pants on. The hidden speakers calling "mama!" throughout one section were delightfully unnerving. Good stuff. I would have recorded more but for my camera, which is incredibly frustrating to operate. The sea water inside it is like a poltergeist, turning it on and off, taking pictures or refusing to do so, all on its own.

This is an apartment, but without walls, floors or ceilings, or a building. Just all of the plumbing and electric.

And here is a bronze statue relieving herself whilst taking in the lovely view.

oh dear...

Heating plant in Sweden burning rabbits killed in city parks to warm homes

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/real_estate/2009/10/14/2009-10-14_heating_plant_in_sweden_burning_rabbits_killed_in_city_parks_to_warm_homes.html#ixzz0UCPiQIpq

grafitti

Here is a selection of graffiti from around Karlskrona. There are a couple specific buildings that have been designated "free" for artists to work on, and there's been new stuff going up every couple weeks. Unlike this blog.

Kaaron's name was spelled wrong, but the spread of their fame is still impressive.

Everyone wants to live Vegan.

Today was a good day.

This could conceivably spell Zakku?

stockholm

Stockholm is an incredible city and I want to live there (in the summer time).

I ingratiated myself to some of the famously gorgeous locals.

This is the Vasa. It sank within one nautical mile of harbor on its maiden voyage. 300 years later it was excavated and presented in this pretty incredible museum. The Vasa was a great warship, built to be the grandest in Europe, and is second only to the titanic in Nautical Metaphors.

During its three year construction, the King kept making demands for a bigger, grander boat with more cannons and more decks, etc. No one told him that damn thing would capsize, lest they risk his wrath. And so it did, right in front of the thousands who had turned out to see off this grand new symbol of power.

Also, there were extensive exhibits illustrating life on sailing vessels of that time (1628). It ws tremendously uncomfortable, and we should be grateful and amazed by the ease of transport we enjoy. I won't even get into the exhibit on the ship's dentist.

In the Nobel Museum I saw Galileo's telescope. He built it by hand, and this is the only one left in the world. What an inspiring fellow! Condemned by the church to house arrest for his assertion that the earth moved around the sun... Paradigm shifting has always been hard work.


Stockholm by unicycle. The kid actually tipped his cap at me as rode by. It was perfect.

This is a great example of bike infrastructure. Clever, Aesthetic, Integrated. Nice.