Author Archives: WD

You got real big brains, but I’m looking at your…

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Music is inescapable in Romania. Whether traveling, eating or attempting to relax, one can rest assured that some form or other of noise will be broadcast for our benefit. Let’s have a rundown of particular situations in which this phenomenon is manifest:

1) Maxi-Taxis: One can only hope that this means of transportation will soon go away as Romania continues to develop its road infrastructure. But for the time being, they serve a crucial function, connecting cities, towns and one horse villages at a speedy and somewhat dizzying pace. The ruler of the Maxi Taxi is, of course, the driver. These men (indeed they are all men) share certain characteristics: 30 – 60 years old, stocky, favor plaid work shirts, smokers, gruff, non-communicative (except to young female passengers,) and lovers of loud music. The music you will hear in maxi-taxis is either the radio, or, more frequently, a cassette tape of the driver’s choosing. Traditional Romanian folk music is popular here with the older drivers (the more icons plastered around the visor the more likely you are to hear this sort of music.) Also popular is Romanian rock. Since the driver likes to keep his window down (while many have been so kind as to jerry-rig the sliding windows further back permanently shut,) the music must be loud enough to compensate for the sound of air and semi-trucks whooshing past at a margin of 2 inches. While some drivers will be considerate enough to confine their musical tastes to the front speakers, many gladly share via the hardwired system (in more modern maxi-taxis,) or via some slick speakers installed by Mihai down at Dacia-Zone. Thus one is confronted with the choice of either sucking it up or listening to music of one’s own. Reading is not an option.

2) Restaurants: Though music in restaurants isn’t bad per-se, careful attention to the type and volume is crucial in such applications. However, attention to detail is not a particularly strong suite of most business owners over here. As such, music at restaurants is usually inappropriate. The worst offenders can be found in the more touristy regions. Restaurants such as these (which all offer, by the way, the exact same fare,) enjoy hiring a young man, usually between 20 and 30, whose is taxed with setting up his Yamaha and microphone a few inches from the dining tables and regaling the crowd with classic renditions of American favorites such as “Hotel California.” Though Bodgan is in earnest here, he doesn’t seem to realize that his role is to provide background noise, and not to overpower the poor frail human voice. Thus at such establishments, in addition to surly service, one can expect to either eat in silence or converse as if at a nightclub. The non-touristy places usually do not offer live performances, but sadly the volume issue is still not well understood. And furthermore, unless “Beep” by The Pussycat Dolls is your preferred type of music for the dining out experience, you’re beeped.

3) Pool/Seaside: What could be better in the summer than a trip to the sea or your local public swimming pool? Here in Romania, where it does get hot in the summer, these places offer a much needed respite from the polluted airs of *insert your city/village here*. Many municipalities have recently invested in new complexes offering not only swimming but also dining, ice cream, tennis and other fun activities. There is, of course, a price, and that price is usually in the form of some heavy duty all weather speakers mounted on poles throughout the place. Here in my home town, they have even gone so far as to place a remote broadcasting booth for a local radio station right next to the pools! Thus as you strut and tan, you can be sure you do so to the beat of the day’s top 10 songs. And by top ten, I really mean ten. Romanian homogeneity is manifest in multiple ways, but most noticeably so on commercial radio, which dominates the dial. One can expect to hear the latest in American trash-hop, some classic rock (Queen,) and the latest and greatest in Romanian pop (for a sampling of this music, see Owlspotting’s post on the subject.) But to summarize, most of such pop tends to use the clever rhyming technique of “mine” and “bine” (mee-nay (mine) and bee-nay (good)) in some form or another, and that’s all you really need to know. Reading in such locales is possible, but be prepared to receive a few strange looks as this pastime is not in favor anywhere outside of the library.

4) Sidewalk: Many of the “hip” stores and cafes have discovered that playing loud techno-style music somehow entices customers to shovel out ever more for standard mass-produced clothing covered with nonsensical slogans. The worst such offender is a clothing outfit called Kenvelo, which usually has its stores located in high traffic areas. The music in these stores is so loud that it bleeds out onto the street; it is the modern day siren which lures teenage boys and girls into shopping frenzies which result in the rest of us doing many double takes trying to understand just what messages such as, “Gigolo Italiano 880,” (in sparkling sequins) and “moto star sports awesom!” are attempting to convey. Trendy cafes with outdoor seating are also guilty of this trick, though in these cases the effect is a 2-for-1, encompassing both this technique and the one mentioned in number 2. [n.b. – The author must pause here to admit that he is, at times, attracted to this method of advertising when the reward promises to be a well made cocktail. In all other instances, he is disgusted.]

To summarize – Romanians like their music, they like it loud, and they like it public. For an otherwise timid people, this phenomenon (along with the excessive amounts of PDA) seems out of place. But perhaps music is an affirmation of freedom. The affirmation of freedom to join the global community. To join the global community of uniformity, lack of creativity and originality. To be, in a way, one, united, but at the same time, desperately unique.

Quick Fix

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My father once accidentally broke a key off our family computer’s keyboard. This happened around December. The following April, while trimming the lawn, I found the scattered remains of a keyboard all across the backyard. There was also an old Toshiba laptop, which, having reached the end of its much abused life, found a similar fate awaiting itself. So it is in the family. Something breaks, it’s gone. Although I myself have had a few victories, notably with computers, my skill for fixing things these days seems to rank just a hair above my fathers.

So I got this washing machine for free. It belonged to a teacher who no longer needed it, and kindly, she let me have it. It was never a glorious machine, indeed it was quite old. But, being of German make, it still worked well enough, if loudly. Last week during the usual tumbling, I heard a new noise. It was going “tumble, scratch, splash,” normal, when followed, “bang, twaaang.” When a washing machine goes, “bang, twaang,” it’s not good. But the cycle managed to finish. Today I dump a fresh load in, and after filling up, again, “bang, twaang,” only this time following the frightening racket, the drum stops spinning and instead I can hear that sound of a motor trying to move but making no process – you know, that strained buzzing.

Perhaps I overloaded the machine and nothing is really wrong, I think. So, removing half the load I fire it back up only to get one cycle followed by that buzzing. I take all the clothes out and start it up, but no progress is to be had. At this point I become convinced that something has gotten stuck somewhere in the works… a stray sock perhaps. Not having much to do and feeling adventurous, I decide that I’ll fix it.

Three hours later:

Tomorrow I’ll be going shopping for a second-hand washing machine. I think I’ll stick to teaching…

Lieberman

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I am thrilled by the defeat of Joe Lieberman in CT.

Although Ned Lamont is himself a millionare, he spoke honestly and with conviction.

Ousting Lieberman does not mean that Democrats are weak on terror.

Right-wingers will claim that the Democratic party is being taken over by radicals… answer, mirror.

Wanting out of Iraq is not “anti-American” or “pro-terrorist.” Wanting a sane foreign policy is in the best interests of this country.

And Joe, you lost, go home!

alt.war

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I’ve been paying close attention to the events in Israel and find myself conflicted. Personally, I do not advocate violence, however, I am not so naive to believe that it is completely unnecessary. That said, the Jewish state finds itself under attack from a radical ideology which seeks no less than its utter destruction. When faced with an enemy who seeks to annihilate you, I see no problem with retaliation. However, the very nature of the enemy ensures that such defensive actions will lead to civilian casualties. Indeed, the radicals (Hezbollah, Hamas, etc.) operate within the same territory as other civilians. Therefore, when combating strongholds of these terrorist organizations, innocents will be killed. This is not a justification, rather a fact regarding the nature of the battle. Indeed, it seems that even if Israel succeeds in wiping out Hezbollah offices or leaders, the damage done will amount to a net loss. With the death of each innocent, passions in the Muslim world will be further inflamed against not only Israel, but also the US and the West in large. It seems, thus, that Israel’s actions are not prudent.

But to stop the analysis at this point would be incomplete. Although this method of massive retaliation may seem barbaric, so too are the tactics employed by the enemy. And the difficulty here is that, unlike previous global conflicts, this one is even harder to trace to a single source; that is, radical Islamic terrorism, which is the manifestation of the desire for Islam to triumph over all people, is nurtured worldwide. September 11th, the London/Madrid/Bali/etc. bombings all are the “fruits” of this labor. We can expect more.

Unfortunately, it is at this point in the game where types like Bush/Cheney step in, insert the period, while admonishing us to be afraid and to continue supporting their war. Although this is indeed a war, between extremists and a more moderate and pluralistic vision of humanity, our current black/white policies do little to genuinely support our side. Instead, we must blend pragmatism with effective action.

As progressives/liberals we must admit that radical Islam (or Islamo-Fascism) is a real threat. The goal of this movement, as stated before, is world domination in the name of Islam. This idea is not particularly new, nor is it one to which only Islam is prone. The difference is that this specific strain of Islam, which is practiced in many places globally, allows no accommodation for non-believers. To these adherents, Islam is the only true path, and therefore any and all other paths are inferior and to be eliminated. Murder becomes justified, indeed glorified. As far as these people are concerned, the global goal is accomplished through small victories. Since the United States is such a large and formidable military force, it is unlikely that radical Islamists will anytime soon destroy it. However, victories are being won on smaller stages. Just recently, an article in the NY Times described how Sha’ria, or Islamic law, has been adopted in Banda Ache province in Indonesia. Similar victories, outside of the traditional Middle East, signify the success of this de-centralized movement. And just as Americans recruit the best intellectual minds to its Universities, the Islamo-Fascist movement recruits the most gullible/desperate/misinformed/brainwashed to its own training camps. Thus as this army grows, it becomes more internationalized.

Since the destruction of the US is not feasible at present, Israel assumes the brunt of attacks, as witnessed by the endless suicide bombings and rocket fire to which it is subject within its territory. Israel is not the United States. However, to claim that the interests of Israel and the United States do no coincide regarding this issue is pure folly. The hatred of our enemy against the Jews and the West is really one in the same, and though Christians may be larger than the Jews in number, rest assured that you too are unacceptable and will be dealt with. The fate of Israel will largely be the fate of the West, and our ability to combat this enemy globally. Israel may be doing it wrong, but the idea is right. This movement must first be contained, and then eliminated. But this is hard work, and frankly, the traditional notions of combat do not seem to apply. Tanks and fighter planes can only do so much to destroy a perverted ideology. But re-education is not impossible; witness the turnaround of post-Nazi Germany into a multicultural powerhouse.

The real war will involve isolating those who preach hate while assisting those who teach a version of religion that is truly pro-life. But when individuals act out of fear, such nuance is most often lost. With September 11th, we got a taste of that fear, and I fear, like the hawkish Israelis, we are making similar mistakes – namely with Iraq. What we must remember is that radicalism takes hold easily in non-democratic societies. Oppression is the name of the game across much of the Middle East, and thus more moderate voices tend to be silenced. Our task in the upcoming years will be to help build institutions that give such voices a greater audience. This, coupled with the isolation and destruction of those who shamelessly advocate violence, is the real path to victory. The time for action is now, but we must not rush into the battle without some damn good plans. Unfortunately this is not what we have done, and we are now saddled with the additional burden of undoing the damage caused by recent actions. Let’s face up to this threat honestly so that we can truly defeat it.