A Great Day for Kites

PRN-LON-SIN-MEL-SYD-PER-SYD-MEL-SYD

2008-05-19T04:23:00.007+02:00

Airport codes for my travels from 28 March 08 to next week... and in July you can add SYD-ADL-MEL-SYD.

Yep, I'm back in Australia and very happy to be home after a year and a half in the WTK, but starting to get a little bit sick of airports, planes, and bag lugging...

Leaving Kosovo. It was sad to say good bye to friends and work mates but exciting to be headed home. My final meal was , somehow appropriately, Swedish Meatballs cooked by the fabulous Chef Daniel of Goteburg.A stopover was had in London on the way home for a final weekend jaunt with great friends,

and some last dash shopping, architecture critiquing at Canary Wharf and quality British tv watching.
Arriving home in Melbourne late at night, this was my morning walk in glorious late summer sunshine the next day.

Later that day, one of my most favourite bands ever happened to be playing in Melbourne!

Rather a lovely welcome home, thanks Melbourne.

Got a little more serious today...

2008-03-17T20:34:00.009+01:00

Things got a little more serious in north Mitrovica today, when the UN tried to take control back of the courthouse that was overtaken on Friday.

There have been reports on BBC and CNN of thousands of protesters stepping up the violence with grenades, rifle fire, molotov cocktail and firecrackers.
The pictures are certainly a bit worrying with direct attacks on the courthouse and tanks. Several injuries are reported, around 40 UN Police and 12 Kfor troops.

The UN police have pulled out and NATO-KFOR is now keeping the tense peace.

Today marks an anniversary of serious ethnic violence across Kosovo in 2004 and is the one month anniversary of the declaration of Independence by Kosovo's majority Albanian government.

I've just watched (from my apartment window) a long line of tanks and trucks from the French KFOR camp in south Mitrovica pull out into the street and drive off - perhaps heading north for reinforcement/replacement?

Things in the south are basically quiet and business as usual, and I was glad to be in another town all day in workshops that kept me from most of the news, but I imagine its not just me that is a bit on edge.
I am rather glad to be leaving next week I must say.

Snipers, Protests, Railways

2008-03-04T09:13:00.007+01:00

Just days after my first Kosovo train adventure (from Pristina to Skopje) things have gotten a bit complicated with the railways here, with Serbia taking back control of part of the network in the north of Kosovo and stopping trains from travelling north of Mitrovica.

They claim "the move will ensure better quality of transport, and noted that the railway company operating there under UNMIK's jurisdiction since 1999 was unable to perform according to the SŽ standards. "

Protests are underway at the Zvecan railway station, and also continue at the court house in north Mitrovica, with people demanding that both institutions, and their employees jobs, be returned to Serbian jurisdiction.

photo credit: iht.com
"It is in line with the Belgrade government's instructions to the Serbian minority to shun any contact with Kosovo's government after it declared independence two weeks ago, and to work directly with Serbia instead" iht.com

The security situation has been changing each day, but there has been regular restrictions of movement for internationals. After being told movement in north was safe yesterday, I had planned to drive to the office by the east road past the community centre. For various reasons I didn't, and I'm glad as there were reports of sniper fire aimed at the centre.

These events follow several weeks of bubbling unrest, daily protests, small but effective explosions and the expulsion of many international organisations including the new EU mission.

Intimidation by the bridge watchers has continued, with even foreign journalists receiving the nasty 'kosovo kiss'.

It is hard to see any end to this, though the daily protests have been getting smaller there seems to be something new each day to increase the tensions and fuel the anger. It is clear that neither side is willing to change its position, but how long can this go on?

What people are wearing in Mitrovica

2008-02-23T19:22:00.005+01:00

Photo Credit - Reuters/Yahoo

We are still being advised not to travel in north Mitrovica, so I can't get close enough to take photos myself.
But apparently what people are wearing are Serbian military hats - at least when attending a rally to protest that is.

The rallies in north Mitrovica have been relatively peaceful and calm, a few thousand people utilising their right to demonstrate.
Every day for six days so far.

Will they have enough outfits to keep it up much longer?

Unrest

2008-02-19T13:55:00.003+01:00

The atmosphere in Mitrovica is now tense to say the least:

Reuters reports that NATO steps in as Serbs torch Kosovo border post

"NATO peacekeepers in newly independent Kosovo intervened on Tuesday as Serb mobs opposed to its secession attacked border posts and police fled."

This was apparantly a reaction to a plan to erect Kosovo flags at the border points today.

BBC reported about the protests and small explosions

"As they marched they took up the children's chant: "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia"

B92 reports more about Explosions in northern Kosovo

"A Kosovo police spokesman confirmed that the blasts took place, one at the OSCE mission offices in Kosovska Mitrovica, that caused minor damage to the building and vehicles parked outside.

The second explosion took place in another Serb town in the northern part of the province, Zvečan, when unknown perpetrators set two UN vehicles on fire.

The third incident took place in northern Kosovska Mitrovica in the neighborhood of Bošnjačka Mahala, when a device exploded in a yard, causing damage to a house, a garage and a private car. "

Pavarësia - Independence

2008-02-18T11:37:00.006+01:00

Even Australia 's Prime Minister Rudd is backing the declaration of independence by Kosovo.

The ABC news site goes so far as to claim that

"The Federal Government has formally recognised the independence of Kosovo..."

Protests are occurring today in Serbian enclaves in Kosovo, including north Mitrovica, and Belgrade has seen violence directed at embassies and consulates of countries supporting the declaration.

The South East European Times writes that Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica

called on Serbian citizens "to come together and show the whole world that we do not acknowledge the creation of a false state on our territory"

Last night saw explosions in north Mitrovica at property associated with the UN and the incoming EU mission.

But the south part of the city is quiet, and celebrations last night were quite subdued in comparison with the capital, Pristina. Posters urged "Celebrate with dignity for a good beginning"

An historic day

2008-02-17T13:36:00.003+01:00

Its a bitterly cold, snowy but sunny day in Mitrovica. Car horns, fireworks and folk music fill the air and traffic jams abound in the south. The north, however, is very quiet.

See these stories:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/europe/the-symbol-of-kosovo-an-eagle-with-two-faces-ndash-each-looking-a-different-way-783396.html
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/17/2164930.htm
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200802/r224737_889420.asx

An eery unease

2008-02-15T16:02:00.006+01:00

It may be just me, but I feel an eery unease here at the moment.

Kosovo is likely on the verge of declaring independence from Serbia this weekend. In south Mitrovica (as through much of the province) there is already preparations for celebrations, two days ahead of the expected announcement. Flags of Albania, USA, EU and France fly in the streets and giant cakes are being baked.

The north is relatively quiet this afternoon, though it is also a kind of holiday for Serbia today which could explain it.

Many internationals here are a bit unsure what to think or believe, rumours are rife and concrete information is scarce.

I am feeling quite nervous with both excitement and fear, a very weird feeling indeed. Alert, not alarmed perhaps...

After so many years of uncertainty, to be on the verge of a defined 'status' must be overwhelmingly emotional for the majority Albanian Kosovars, I wonder if knowing one way or the other and getting some certainty will be any kind of relief for the minority Serbian Kosovars?

Sorry

2008-02-13T00:05:00.001+01:00

Another surge of that fluttery heart feeling of a kind of pride today as the new Australian parliament said sorry to the stolen generations of aboriginal children and wishes for reconciliation.

It was a long time coming and says so much about the change we have seen with the new government in power.

But can someone smack Nick Bryant? The BBC World Correspondent gets my goat every time, that snarly face and his attempt at 'balanced reporting' missing the point by a mile. His story just now found some crotchety old farmers saying 'they' should be saying thank you to 'us' for educating them so they don't have to spend their days digging witchety grubs... classy mate.

Status?

2008-02-01T11:12:00.000+01:00

"Status" has been imminent ever since I arrived, almost a year and a half ago.
Every few months a new date was rumoured to be the day the UN Security Council would make a decision. But it never happened.
"Status"(that is, the decision on the official status of Kosovo as an entity within or independant of Serbia) has recently fired up again as a topic, and is being talked about in a different way - as a Unilateral Declaration of Independance by the Kosovar Albanian majority Parliament.

February 08 is widely tipped to be the month this will happen... but then again so was December 07.
The latest published information is outlined below:

Pristina media quote unnamed senior Kosovo officials laying out the most likely scenario for the timing of an upcoming independence declaration. They expect the following series of actions to be based on what they say are clear signals allegedly already received from Washington and Brussels:
a declaration on 17 February; an immediate first wave of recognitions led by Slovenia to be followed over time by at least two subsequent waves; an EU Foreign Ministers (GAERC) meeting on Monday 18 February to approve sending the ESDP mission.

Media also cite a Reuter’s article suggesting that the dates may be accelerated in case of
victory by Serbian Radical Party candidate Nikolic in the second round of Serbian
presidential elections on 3 February. “If (Tomislav) Nikolic wins, it's the 9th
or 10th [February],” a senior political source told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Austrian diplomat Albert Rohan told Koha Ditore that “Proclamation of
independence will take place in mid-February and Kosovo is ready for it regardless
of problems that may come up”.

According to Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi, Kosovo will declare independence within days of this weekend's Serbian presidential elections, he said on Wednesday. “The developments in Serbia
do not have any influence on Kosovo. Kosovo has its own path,” Thaçi told journalists after meeting with senior police officials.
- UNMIK Division of Public Information

Phenomenal Woman

2008-01-25T19:57:00.000+01:00

Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

So close, yet so far

2008-01-21T22:48:00.000+01:00

Possibly my favourite journalist, Jane Hutcheon, has presented a brief story on Australian tv about the Kosovo situation and the Serbian elections from this here little town.

http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200801/r218072_852290.asx

Quite a good, succinct little piece worth your watching if you want to know a bit about what's going on at the moment and to see a glimpse of where I'm living....

But I can't believe I missed the chance to meet her, here of all places!

Pining for the Pacific

2008-01-21T21:54:00.001+01:00

I've just watched a very sweet kid's movie called The Legend of Johnny Lingo.

Its almost like a travelogue for the pacific islands, showing many aspects of traditional culture, landscapes and livelihoods at the turn of the century mixed up in a sort of fable of family, tradition and lost love.
I loved to see them harvesting noni fruit and squeezing the juice for a health tonic (and knowing how awful it is to drink!), swim under waterfalls, or open a young coconut to drink. If you wanted to learn a lot about life in the pacific, and can stand some rather cheesy scenes, check it out.

While certainly never in danger of winning an Oscar, (and with some sketchy links to the Mormons of Utah and some serious 'product placement' for noni juice) this film now has me pining even more for the South Pacific, and more specifically my home for a year (2005-6), Samoa - tropical paradise.

Something tells me I'm unlikely to pine in the same way (or at all) for my current home once I leave it...

Food in Kosovo part 1

2008-01-20T00:31:00.000+01:00

It's the Balkans, so you have to expect pastry, meat, cheese, oil and pickled (or relish) vegetables...
But its also Kosovo, where very large numbers of cashed up internationals have been living over the past 8 years therefore bringing (or demanding) a range of cuisines, at least in the capital, Pristina. This extends from passable Japanese and Thai to very good 'international' fare.

Mitrovica and surrounds finds its niche cuisine mostly hidden within the compounds of the KFOR camps - particularly the Danish Sunday Brunch (think of the best hotel buffet spread you've seen and its better!) and the French camp's restaurant (see part 2).

Lets begin with some photos of more traditional food, from restaurants in north and south Mitrovica:

Stuffed peppers can be hit and miss, but when they are good, they are very good! Usually stuffed with a mix of minced meat, rice and some herbs and spices and served with the obligatory dousing of oil.

When too much meat is not enough... the mixed grill at No. 1 restaurant.

'Leskovačka' mućkalica - pork with tomato and onion, my pick at No. 1.

The classic 'Shop /Shopska' salad with all that grated Sirene cheese on the right, the left shows a 'tave' or baked dish, this one is veges and the ever present cheese I think.

'Veal' Skewer. A lot of meat is advertised as 'veal', I'm rarely convinced however... but tasty all the same.

A delicious steak or 'Biftek' at Liburnia restaurant. Be sure to get Biftek or Bifsteak instead of Ramsteak...

In case of (rather desperate) homesickness one could order a 'Skenderbeg' as it is sometimes known. A fairly wrong combination of meat, cabbage and thick batter not unlike the Classic Chiko Roll in Australia.

Desperate times...

2008-01-18T17:09:00.000+01:00

... call for desperate measures.

I ran out of Vegemite. I forgot to pick some up on my recent trip home.
How I could do this, I'm not sure - I even had the bubble wrap ready for the journey!

Yesterday, needing my yeast extract fix, I resorted to eating Marmite.

The gooier, runnier, British version of the yeast extract spread. It hits a spot, but could never replace the superior Aussie version for me. It's too hard to get out of the jar for a start, it spills over the edge unless you twirl your knife a few hundred times and it just doesn't blend with the butter at all, just sits on top like a gelatinous gloop.

It does, however, seem fitting to be eating Marmite while I am in Kosovo:

During World War II, Marmite became a dietary supplement in prisoner-of-war camps, and in 1999, it was sent to British peacekeeping forces in Kosovo after we received morale boosting requests from the field.

I await my boost in morale with baited (or yeasty) breath.

YAY

2008-01-15T16:20:00.000+01:00

I stumbled across this little tid-bit on The Age website:

One of Melbourne's most loved roots venues, Fitzroy's Rainbow Hotel, is set to re-open this month — with live bands — after the lease of former publican Chick Ratten expired last month. Incoming publican brothers Chris and Cameron Strachan say they intend to restore the venue to its former glory.

YAY!
It shouldn't take too much to restore to its 'former glory' given it only shut down in December... hope they have better luck with the authorities and whinging newby residents.

Should we start the campaign to restore the Paul Williamson Hammond Combo residency?

Hottest 100

2008-01-13T21:14:00.000+01:00

'Tis voting time in the Hottest 100 for Australian ' yoof' radio station, triplej....

I like to take the chance to support Australian acts, but couldn't help picking some faves from the wider world too...perhaps partly due to my distance from Aus the past year?
While I don't usually listen to the station (given the general brilliance of public radio in Melbourne), the chance to win a double pass to every event supported by the j's for a year is hard to pass up - it would certainly ease the return to Aus....
Anyway, here be my votes whittled down from the large shortlist and I'm sure there some I've forgotten....

Art Of Fighting - Free You
Biffy Clyro - Saturday Superhouse
Clare Bowditch & The Feeding Set - You Looked So Good
CSS - Let's Make Love & Listen To Death From Above
Love Of Diagrams - Form & Function
Regina Spektor - Better
White Stripes - Icky Thump
Yelle - A Cause Des Garcons
Young And Restless - Police Police
Queens Of The Stone Age - 3's & 7's

What did/will/would you vote for?

Hottie vs Love of your life

2008-01-12T13:35:00.000+01:00

What is the blog etiquette about copy/pasting a particularly excellent comment left on someone else's blog?
Well, this was too ace to leave languishing in RYMHM's comment section, so I hope 'ruby' and Ms Fits don't mind:

ruby said...
sydney's the hottie who blows your mind a few nights, making shiny memories, but you have nothing to talk about with her at 3am. fit, fun, energetic and ultimately forgettable. low cal, light, fluffy and bright.

melbourne's the love of your life. melbourne writes sweet dedications on the flyleaf of your books, and graffiti about you out the front of your house after she crawls out the bedroom window, hair tousled. rough around the edges, but full of strong flavour and calories. the one.

A further walk in Mitrovica south

2008-01-11T11:24:00.000+01:00

The groovy old Lux building, now houses a library and business support centre...

On the Lux theme, this is inside the Majestic restaurant... rather swish! Quite a good restaurant (great steaks) but each time we go, we have been the only ones eating there (others just have coffee). In fact, I am fairly certain that once we make our order, someone then runs out to get ingredients!

This is a view of the City Park along the river. The buildings in the background are on the north side of the river and known as the 'three towers' housing mostly Kosovar-Albanians, who utilise a special footbridge erected for them to walk to the south to carry out their day to day life.

A side street mural - one of the most photographed parts of Mitrovica. After the famous bridge of course!

A Frosty Welcome Back to WTK

2008-01-10T17:03:00.000+01:00

"Oh this is not cold, it was -15 degrees last week!" a colleague insists as my teeth chatter and fingers numb in the -5 degree morning...

A picture on my walk home from work and the view from the front door of our building...

What happened to my transport zen?

2008-01-08T12:14:00.000+01:00

Sometime back in June of last year, I had a shock end to what had been, at least in recent times, a pretty smooth and organised travel and transportation experience in Europe. My London trip ended a touch disastrously as outlined below... (in case you are wondering - I drafted this at the time and never got around to finishing it. After my recently horrific long haul travel, soon to be blogged about, I was inspired to revisit this).

So I get up at a fairly evil time of the morning, after some stuffing around and final packing, manage to catch a bus, a tube train and an airport train all in good time, with little or no waiting around. So far so good.
I get to airport, walk to check-in machines, smoothly check-in, wait in line for the bag-drop and head to the departure area.
I had no problems with the security check, even getting chosen for a special new security check (where you have to stand like a mongoloid and put your hands in the air while a low level x-ray is beamed at you in four positions) was actually a bonus as I was moved to the head of the queue for the bag x-ray.
I check the screens for my gate, but of course it is too early for them to tell us, so I look around the shops, get something to eat etc.
I keep checking the screens every 5 or 10 minutes for my gate.
Eventually I check the screen and it tells me the gate and says 'now boarding'.
I walk towards my gate.
I get there, but there is no line of people, no staff at the desk. One staff member off to the side doodling about. Lots of people sitting on the chairs at the gate. So I check the screen again - yes it is the right gate. So I go to the loo.
Come back from the loo, check the screens, it says 'last call', but there is still no-one lining up at the gate, nor any staff at the desk. I have heard no announcements, so I assume there has been some delay and I sit at a chair close to the gate to wait.
The screens still say 'last call' when it is about 5 minutes before the plane is due to leave. Panic begins to rise as I look around for anyone who could possibly be considered a staff member... no one.
I walk for what seems like an age, past about 8 other gates, until I finally track down a BA staff member, and enquire about my flight. He types it in and says, "oh it was on time, it has left already".... WHAT?! But I was there, I was at the gate! Panic sets in and I get a feeling I have never felt before, a mixture of stress, confusion, dumbfoundedness (is that a feeling?), dread, loss and hopelessness.
Next saw me begin a series of discussions with various BA and airport staff, mostly of the unhelpful variety and eventually I had to buy a new ticket on another airline (the salubrious JAT) at my own expense, after collecting my rejected baggage of course. But it was the series of inconsistencies in these discussions that really got my goat. Each person had a different story about the flight, particularly regarding the time it actually left.

A while later, after walking through several different terminals at Heathrow, I spoke with a customer service officer of BA, who informed me that the fight actually left several hours late. In fact it left AFTER I had been told to buy a new ticket!
They suggested I should therefore be compensated for the cost of my new ticket and sent to me another desk to arrange such. Of course nothing is that easy, and I was then told to write a letter to a certain adress with copies of the tickets and the story.... needless to say after a courtesy reply letter, I have yet to hear any more about this compensation.

Lesson learnt: Never assume anything at airports and departure gates, ask and confirm if in any doubt! Oh - and avoid Heathrow at all costs!

The disastrous travel day didn't end there - with a dodgy JAT flight, followed by a ridiculously and unnecessarily long bus ride of around 8 hours through deepest back country Serbia, I arrived 'home' at around 2am absolutely shattered...

Finally!

2007-11-24T16:50:00.000+01:00

After sitting on the edge of my seat all morning, listening to the rrr fm election coverage and watching the AEC online tally updates, the result we thought we could only hope for came in.

Australian's have finally shown that there is more to life and politics than the economy and low unemployment.

The most brilliant Tracee Hutchinson had this to say before the election:

"Today is the day for Australia to reclaim its sense of justice, humanity, equality and pride. Today is the day we tell each other and the world that we are a decent, good-hearted, generous people who reach out and reach down and walk tall because of it."

The coalition had been eroding our soul for too long, and thank god enough Australian's realised this and, as Kevin Rudd pointed out in his victory speech, many voted for, or preferenced, Labor for the first time. A strong message for conservatives everywhere.

National Loyalty

2007-11-22T15:04:00.000+01:00

How far should you go for the sake of national loyalty?
Will reason and logic ever win through?
Would there ever be true integration and equal-opportunity?

From openDemocracy.

By Paul Hockenos for openDemocracy (19/11/07)

“But how important is Kosovo to the Serbs in reality? There is a dark joke inside Serbia that if a Kosovo under Serbian rule would mean (on equal-opportunity grounds) Albanians being granted one-fifth of places in the national parliament, on hospital boards, in the judiciary, the education system, then the Serbs would turn and run in the other direction. The imbalance in birthrates is a horror-scenario for Serb nationalists. In fact, many Serb citizens (and off-the-record, even politicians) acknowledge that Serbia would benefit enormously from cutting loose Kosovo and concentrating on its own problems. But saying this aloud in Serbia is treasonous.”

A quick walk in Mitrovica north

2007-11-18T16:34:00.000+01:00

The view from just above the new church - looking over the centre of town.

Is this where they got the Ghostbusters car from?
The UAM building... I spend altogether too much time in my dungeon like office here...

View from downtown public square (that's round) up to the worker's monument on the hill.
Protest sign in centre of town earlier this year. Its no longer hanging here though...

What people are wearing in WTK

2007-11-16T16:12:00.000+01:00

Gervy has urged me to look at what people are wearing...

Dapper white suit and a serious mullet...
Wedding outfits, but this was not her wedding... (apparantly you wear it to the next wedding you go to!)
Traditional cultural dress.... to cook flia for 'tourists' (mostly just locals from the city)

Not that I'm nearing middle age, but for those that are:

2007-11-15T16:37:00.001+01:00

A (Secular) Prayer for Those Approaching Middle Age

Oh Almighty Charles Darwin,

We who are staring down Forty, beseech thee to aid our passage into middle age.

Protect us from a Mid Life Crisis. We Gen Xers have always been inclined to question the path we have chosen anyway, and indeed have always been inclined toward red convertibles.

Let us constantly renew our taste in music so that those ten years our junior will not be able to tease us for being old fashioned. Let us always be into at least one artist who's first album came out less than five years ago.

And we beseech thee to not leave us to rely on shitty "yoof" radio stations for these cultural insights.

We beg of you for the time and the stamina to go to loud venues and not feel the need to sit down after an hour of standing, listening to the support band. To phrase it another way: protect our knees from the ravages of time.

May we never become one of those people who prioritizes their superannuation over all else. Retirement is followed too closely by death to consider. May we have careers which enable this business to look after itself. And further let us not degenerate into to time-clock punchers waiting on their widening arses for their retirement.

Protect us from our biological clocks. May our ova be plentiful and our spermatozoa motile, up until the moment we get our shit together and finally combine one with the other.

We also beg of you to provide a steady supply of friends so that when they move overseas or we have falling outs, there is always other members of the circle indeed other circles to provide us with drinking companions.

And let not technology overwhelm us. When the things we are familiar with are inevitably superseded, may we be in a position to swap our vinyl records for CDs, our CDs for downloaded MP3s, our MP3s for whatever comes next. May we move from personal websites to forums to blogs to myspace to facebook and on to twitter with ease. May we not be confronted by some new phenomenon and decide just to give in and leave it to "the kids."

May we struggle successfully through downturns and housing bubbles, and not become a slave to a mortgage. May there never be a day where paying something off means we cannot do brunch. May we be inner urban wankers until the day we die.

And may those of us who mis-place our partners meet new, incredible people and form relationships which are the envy of all. May our children not mock us for reproducing so late, and hence being a bit lacking in the "running around kicking the football" department. To phrase it another way: protect our knees from the ravages of time.

And we bid thee, keep our ears functioning despite far too many loud gigs and thousands of hours with Rob Zombie blasting down our headphones. Yay verily for cupping our ears and saying "what was that, sonny Jim?" at the age of 42 will suck dogs balls.

For all these things we beg thy true grace, oh mighty Darwin.

Thank you. Ramen.

A quick walk in Mitrovica south

2007-11-11T22:43:00.000+01:00

The new roundabout in the centre of town is almost finished, and while not designed in the most appropriate way for pedestrian and vehicular traffic, has turned out ok. There is a feature fountain in the centre, interesting given the water shortages the town has, and there are even decorative lights in it at night, even when the rest of town has no electricity!
I liked this shot showing the various means of transportation used here. Its just missing a horse or donkey cart...

An apartment block facade being refurbished, by a company that has a presidential candidate as its head. Elections will be held in Kosovo next week, there are around 100 parties vying for seats in local and Kosovo level assemblies and a rather complicated voting ballot for those who bother to show up and vote.

Speaking of elections, this is the Municipal building in south Mitrovica. A slightly depressing kind of a place, with dark empty corridors hiding seperate offices - open plan has not caught on here.

In case I am feeling homesick I can come and look at this shoe store and its lovely picture of Sydney Harbour... or the clothes shop down the street with a kangaroo on the window. Neither of these businesses have anything to do with Australia per se, guess they just like the name/imagery... most businesses in Kosovo tend to take some kind of well known place name or brand name with no fear of copyright infringement. One of my favourites is a burger place in Peja called 'MegDonalds' with the golden arches and all!

Today

2007-11-10T12:18:00.000+01:00

Gervy has insisted I write more often and more about my day to day life... so here is the first hastily constructed post to satisfy her whims.

This morning I woke early to a loud gust of wind rushing past my windows, prompting me to get up to see if it was a serious storm or not, only to find snow falling on snow covered rooftops for just the second time this season here in Mitrovica.

Here is a picture of the first snow of the season last week:
The beauty of snow cover is that apart from improving the look of many of the ugly buildings around, it also covers up the rubbish strewn about the place and Kosovo starts to look like an attractive place... almost.
That's a bit harsh I suppose, there are some redeeming qualities of the landscape here in certain locations, but when you spend so much time in the cities and on the main roads between those cities, it can be hard to remember there is beauty hidden away here. Like this:

There are things to make you laugh though. Last week, as I was waiting for the winter tyres to be put on the work car (the tyres have cute little pictures of snow flakes on them!) , I took this photo:

This is in the middle of the capital city, Pristina. A group of cows walking down the street (the wrong way down a one way street too) and noone bats an eyelid. What I couldn't figure out was where they (there were about 5 of them) came from or where they were going to! As far as I could see there were no nearby fields, and no market areas, nor could I see anyone guiding them. Maybe they were just popping down the shops for some sugar?

Kevin 07

2007-10-23T23:11:00.001+02:00

Life

2007-09-12T12:42:00.000+02:00

The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it - W.M. Lewis

My New Favourite City

2007-08-15T17:39:00.000+02:00

Lisboa / Lisbon has streaked ahead of the competition after a wonderful (too-short) 5 days there.

It has seemingly everything you could want in a city! History, modernity, tradition, poetry, music, architecture, stencil art, cool bars, diverse restaurants, a river, great weather, amazing food, close to surf beaches, fantastic public transport (trams AND funiculars - yay!) and pedestrian friendly! Well apart from all the big hills and thousands of stairs, that is.

View of Lisbon from the freestanding elevator tower

The most divine custard tarts ever made - at Pasteis de Belem

An alleyway in Alfama district

The Calatrava designed Orient Train Station.

Some of the Stencil Art in Barrio Alto

15 minutes - more like 2 minutes

2007-07-18T09:17:00.000+02:00

I've been mentioned in the main Kosovo newspaper!
Here is the translation....

All together for a better city

UN-HABITAT officers have presented the results of Visioning Workshop of Mitrovica “ Make better Mitrovica Together” that was held in Skopje, in January of this, where were planners and Civil Society representatives from two sides of this city.

Economic crises and low life quality which is faced by the citizens of two sides of the city, was the starting point for discussions and dialog between two communities.

Presentation of these result was done by the UN-HABITAT representative Natalie Mitchel, while in maps where exposed all the ideas and the visions for improvement of living conditions in Mitrovica, which was the main aim of the workshop.

According to UN-Habitat representatives, the results that came out from this workshop will be handover to municipal authorities as a help for drafting MDP and UDP.

Source: Koha Ditore, 12.07.07

State of EXIT

2007-07-16T21:12:00.000+02:00

Now that was a festival!
EXIT - 4 days of music in an old Fortress overlooking Novi Sad in northern Serbia, practically in the backyard for those of us working in Kosovo, was an awesome way to spend a summer weekend.
In fact it was 4 nights, with the bands not starting each day till around 7pm and DJs played till 8am, which left days free to sleep in, hang by the riverside, walk around Novi Sad and regroup. We also made the excellent decision to rent a room in an apartment rather than camp out, which meant plenty of quiet, comfortable and cool rest was possible with access to a bathroom and kitchen - and all closer to the fest than the festival camp area.

Now 6 hours in a clunky old bus meant it didn't exactly feel like it was in the backyard, but the travel was worth it. I arrived late on Thursday and managed to catch the end of The Prodigy's set, which sounded amazing and the atmosphere was electric, it seems they still got it. Some fireworks followed to officially launch the festival then Groove Armada hit the stage and had even our died-in-the-wool rocker friend dancing along.

Highlights would have to be a very cool Beastie Boys set with loads of old-school tunes including Egg Raid on Mojo and No Sleep till Brooklyn as well as quite a few of the new instrumental jams, Basement Jaxx impressed me despite not knowing much of their set and had me dancing like a fool and unusual for me, I also enjoyed dancing till dawn to a set by the dj Roger Sanchez.

I was sceptical as to whether CSS would translate to a main festival stage, after seeing them earlier in the year at a small venue in Sydney with a bad sound mix... but they pulled it off, sounded fantastic and were lots of fun. I especially loved the singer stripping off several layers of dodgy jumpsuits and having the attitude to make it seem cool.

Lauryn Hill seemed to pull some kind of diva stunt, going on late and playing past the timeslot, delaying Basement Jaxx for over an hour, which did not impress the fans... but she played some Fugees towards the end when we wandered over which somehow made up to it.

There were loads of stages, but just the one main stage, which made it easy to catch the extended sets of the major acts. None of those paltry 45 minute sets here!

Everyone was friendly (well, almost everyone), the weather was perfect, despite the huge crowds there was never a problem to get where we wanted to go (except to get beer during a main act set) and to top it off it was cheap!

There were messages of peace and ending discrimination, with many organisations granted stalls and space on site, harking back to the original intentions of the first EXIT festival in 2000 to bring youth together and move past the period of war in the former Yugoslavia.

While there is still much tension surrounding Kosovo, it was heartening to know that several hundred kosovars travelled from Pristina to the festival to enjoy it alongside people from all over former Yugoslavia and the world.

Gandhi

2007-06-28T16:46:00.000+02:00

"We must become the change we wish to see in the world" - Mahatma Gandhi

Vidovdan

2007-06-26T15:50:00.001+02:00

I have just learnt a little about June 28th, and its significance in this region particularly.
Vidovdan, St Vitus' day is a religious holiday on the Serbian and Bulgarian Orthodox calendar.

More importantly, it is the date that the following events occured:

on June 28, 1389 the Ottoman Empire fought against Serbia in the Battle of Kosovo.
on June 28, 1914 the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian Archduke triggers the First World War.
on June 28, 1919 the Treaty of Versailles was signed, ending the First World War.
on June 28, 1921 the Serbian King Alexander I of Yugoslavia proclaimed the new Constitution of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, known thereafter as the Vidovdan Constitution (Vidovdanski ustav.)
on June 28, 1948 the Cominform published, on the initiative of its Soviet delegates Shdanov, Malenkov and Suslov, in a "Resolution on the State of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia" their condemnation of the Yugoslavian communist leaders - this happening is seen as the date that marks the final split between the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia.
on June 28, 1989 — the 600th anniversary of the battle of Kosovo — Serbian leader Slobodan Milošević delivered the Gazimestan speech at the site of the historic battle.
on June 28, 1990 draft amendments to the Constitution of Croatia, which deleted references to the Serbs as a constituent nation of Croatia, were revealed by Croatian President Franjo Tuđman.
on June 28, 2001 former Yugoslav leader Milošević was deported to The Hague to stand trial. (He died while imprisoned.)
on June 28, 2006 Montenegro was announced as the 192nd member state of the United Nations."[wikipedia]

Tim Judah wonders if it can really be a coincidence that, "with uncanny regularity, the most momentous events of Serbian history have often taken place?" (guardian.co.uk).

What will happen this year? Will they take the occasion to make a point about the status negotiation process?
At least one group has set off on a march from Belgrade to Kosovo for the occasion wearing t-shirts that say "Vidovdan march 2007" [reuters.com]
though the request to march to Gazimestan (the site of the Battle of Kosovo) was rejected in favour of bussing people there.

The reason I have just now leant of all this day and its significance? I have been told to stay in my apartment for the next three nights between 7pm and 8am "for my safety". Those staff not already living in Mitrovica have been restricted in coming up north.

I am currently feeling something between fear and fascination as to the likelihood of any trouble surrounding this 'holiday'. Fear of unrest and a need to evacuate, fascination with the possibility of being caught up in such unrest (as wrong as that sounds). Something tells me all will be calm, but should there be any trouble I'm sure I'll be hightailing my way out of here quick smart, I'm no war tourist.

Culture Week, Kosovan Stars

2007-06-19T14:41:00.000+02:00

It is Culture week in Mitrovica south and last night there was a free concert in the city centre featuring a competent backing band and a rotating list of local female singers, as well as a somewhat disturbing display by the local karate club.

One of the singers was Rona Nishliu, who I have been seeing on local tv a lot recently. A pretty daggy video (you can see on YouTube here - watch for some terrible dance moves and worse outfits) has been playing, I've seen her sing 'live' on a show reminiscent of Countdown, seen her in a kind of game show, and popping up on things that look like variety shows.

So you can imagine that after this much exposure I had it in my head this chick was a bit of a celebrity, so it was fun to see her up close and personal singing her hits and some rather cheesy cover versions of american songs both solo and with the other singers at the concert. It was almost Kosovo's answer to the Young Divas.
Anyway, it turns out this girl is some kind of over achiever, go-getter, and the more Kosovo can get of them, the better!

"Rona Nishliu was born in Mitrovica and attended high school in Pristina, both in Kosovo. In the top 1 percent of the student body at the American University in Kosovo, Nishliu is also a well-known singer in the Kosovo, Albania and Macedonia regions and was one of five finalists among seven thousand participants in an Albanian Pop Idol show. She is the host of a daily radio show for one of Kosovo’s most popular radio stations, Bluesky Radio. She participates in various volunteer activities, including initiating and organizing Kosovo Remembers, a concert to support the Bush-Clinton Hurricane Katrina Fund. She also works with movie and documentary companies and collaborates with international artists visiting Kosovo." rit.edu

Click and feel good...

2007-06-06T20:29:00.000+02:00

Some cool Melbourne peeps have put together this click to donate website - reminds me of the old click once a day hunger site for the world food program - which, it seems (as I just looked it up), is still going...

Anyway, go ahead and click away, add a button to your site, spread the word... and help in some small way some worthwhile (mostly Aussie) charities.

In this day and age?

2007-06-01T10:53:00.000+02:00

Can this be true?

“The Serbian government is prepared to choose Kosovo over Europe”, says Sabine Freizer, Director of Crisis Group’s Europe Program. “The West needs to prepare to live with an isolationist and nationalistic Serbia in the coming years.” ICG

and everyone is just asking "why?".....

Fur Babies

2007-05-28T20:51:00.000+02:00

Conversation on Saturday night:
Her: "So we have to send our two cats to live with a friend in Vienna regularly so that they get enough stamps in their passports"
Me: "Your cats have passports?"
Her: "Yeah, we had to get them Austrian citizenship"
Me: "And you fly them to Vienna regularly?"
Her: "Yeah, we book those special half-seats at the front row on Austrian flights that they use for kids"
Her: "It was so hard to get the cats to sit with a straight face for the passport photo"

They really love their rescued cats here in expat-land.
Apparently, there are such a thing as EU Pet Passports that make it easier for pets to travel with lesser quarantine restrictions.
It also apparently makes it much easier to then have them 'migrate' to places with strict rules, such as Australia. Which is where these guys already have a few cats that live in their beachside apartment with cat-sitters they employ while they work overseas.

Is this taking the "fur baby" thing too far?

Eurovision Controversy!

2007-05-15T15:31:00.000+02:00

It has been claimed that the winning song at Eurovision was, at least partly, a copy of an Albanian song.
"A striking similarity exists between "Molitva" sang by Marija Serifovic in Eurovision 2007 and an albanian song "Ndarja" performed by Soni Malaj in Top Fest 3 in 2006, Albania" esctoday.com

It would be controversial enough just to claim they copied the song, but for it to be Albanian raises the stakes so much higher given the tensions in the region.

So much for Eurovision changing the world and bringing peace to the region!

P.S. Seems we weren't the only ones thinking about possible conspiracies regarding the political influence of winning the contest...

"Probably the most outrageous story concerning the singer appeared on May 9, in the Serbian tabloid Press. It claimed that the Western powers fixed the Eurovision contest in order to ensure Serifovic's victory. "Lulled by a triumph in Helsinki, Serbs are expected to calmly swallow the imminent secession of Kosovo," the paper claimed." time.com

Perhaps Eurovision really can change the world?!

2007-05-14T08:54:00.000+02:00

The Eurovision Song Contest, that cheesy, bizarre and addictive event where European countries (plus a few hangers on) compete for musical glory (or infamy) was held on Saturday.

Out of all the bubble-gum pop, dramatic rock, folk-punk and cross-dressing madness, the winner was a love/religious ballad from Serbia called 'Molitva' sung by Marija Serifovic.

As the BBC said this morning, International success is something Serbia has not experienced in some time. Serbia will now be the host of the finals next year, a boon to the country and the region. You cannot begin to understand how exciting and important this is around here.

Our first thoughts of course went to the possibility of Kosovo being a semi-independant state by then, and of the huge desire of locals for Kosovo to have an entry in the contest. I wrote a while back that it would be one of the more important measures of independance for Kosovans - who needs membership in international organisations, as long as you've got a song in Eurovision?! Imagining a Kosovan entry into the Serbian-hosted Eurovision event was almost too freaky to contemplate. But could it be the ultimate reconciliation?

This morning there was news of the nationalist, hardline, speaker of Serbia's parliament, Tomislav Nikolic, stepping down from the job after only 5 days and it somehow felt like Eurovision may have played a part in the decision.

"opposition MP Nenad Canak said Mr Nikolic's nationalist and anti-European stand no longer had a place - especially as Serbia had just won the Eurovision song contest. Mr Canak said Serbia's neighbours had all awarded his country maximum points in the contest. But Russia, described by Mr Nikolic as Serbia's only friend, had only awarded his country five points." bbc.com

Block-voting aside, this victory was pretty astonishing and has the potential to influence far and wide. We asked ourselves at one point if there was some kind of underlying conspiracy leading to the high votes for this song?

Can Eurovision change the world? It certainly has the hearts and minds of millions in its grasp... and therefore great potential to influence.

Back to the old school

2007-05-08T15:44:00.000+02:00

After years of sticking with my trusty SLR film camera, last October I went and purchased a snazzy compact digital camera. Up to a few weeks ago it served me very well, as my flickr site can attest.
Helpfully, this camera decided to stop working on the first day of my holiday. Before the holiday even started really - at the airport! Arrghhh.
Luckily John had a brand spanking new one to bring on the trip, and once again I reverted to the old school film camera. I look forward to the delayed satisfaction of seeing my photos developed and printed.

Whirlwind Holiday

2007-04-22T23:55:00.000+02:00

Its been a whirlwind week and half, with no less than 4 countries and 5 cities in two continents so far....
Posts will come, as will photos, but adventure has the priority right now...
Highlights so far:
*The weather - its been perfect, sunny, not too hot, gorgeous
*Almost free city bikes in Vienna
*The hole in the wall wine and snack bar in Florence
*The cava bar in Barcelona
*The insane night market in Marrakech

Getting to Meteora Greece

2007-04-12T17:55:00.000+02:00

So the plan for the Easter weekend was to get to Meteora, Greece. A place with amazing rock formations and even more amazing monasteries perched atop them.

First we were distracted by Thessaloniki, the second city of Greece, and its wonderful calamari.

Then we got stuck at a random railway station in the middle of nowhere (Paleofarsalos) and waited hours for a train connection that was meant to be minutes... at least there was spring sunshine to enjoy.

We eventually arrived in Kalabaka, at the foothills of the Meteora mountains, hiked up a steep, tall mountain for an hour or so, then found ourselves running from busfuls of Japanese tourists.

But it was all worth the effort as this was indeed a spectacular place.

(I'm squinting, not winking)

Greek Orthodox Easter

2007-04-12T17:44:00.000+02:00

Its the biggest event on the Greek Orthodox calendar so we arranged to attend a midnight service to witness the candle lighting ceremony. The hotel provided us with candles and red-dyed eggs, so we couldn't not go really.

The church was an old, quite small church that was rather spectacular inside, but the majority of people were outside for the service.
I wish I had a photo of the outside and the amazing effect the candle lighting part of the ceremony had. Suffice to say it was something to experience the spread of light from the centre all around the grounds from person to person. Combined with the traditional singing of the priests, the group of armed soldiers and the military band (that seemed to be there to play only when the General was walking past), it was quite an event.

Heritage gets crowded

2007-04-11T14:38:00.000+02:00

Last weekend I went to Thessaloniki in Greece. Quite a cool city, though it was pretty dead due to the Easter weekend....
Anyway, there is lots to see even if nothing is going on, and just hanging by the water in the sunshine was a great feeling after winter in land locked Kosovo.

All over town there are relics of former empires and traditions, it was fascinating to see so much heritage on almost every street... however I got the feeling that with so much of it, it was in danger of losing its appeal, especially to locals.

This was evidenced by the general feeling of crowding around many of these objects, development encroaching on churches and ruins all over town.

At what point do you simply have to stop providing appropriate space around historical buildings and allow a modern city to develop and flourish?

Eurovision as good as independence?

2007-04-10T22:43:00.001+02:00

The Status of Kosovo is still somewhat up in the air, but I came across this article that shows what is REALLY important here. Its getting into Eurovision of course....
"Next year, predicts Selimi, Kosovo would see 'mass hysteria' if Flakareshat got to go to Eurovision. 'Even if we don't get a flag in front of the United Nations,' as a result of the current talks, he says, 'as long as we get that song in the Eurovision Song Contest, I think we will be pretty happy with it.'" kosovareport.blogspot.com

Public Transport system incites violence

2007-04-05T09:04:00.001+02:00

There have been a few months of protests over the new public transport system in Santiago, Chile and yesterday an annual 'Day of the Young Combatant' demonstration turned violent.

"The Transantiago plan, designed to improve the city's chaotic system of buses and reduce pollution from the transit vehicles' exhaust, has instead stranded passengers, generated marathon waits and overtaxed the city subway." latimes.com

While the violence is a terrible shame, what fascinates me is that people are so passionate and interested in the quality of their public transport system. Granted there is little choice for the hundreds of thousands of poor in Santiago, so their interest in effective public transport is not surprising. But that they believe that the system can work, that it can be better, and are demanding it and want to use it, is a very positive thing in this world of ever increasing freeways.

It is great that the Chilean government has made such a bold move to completely overhaul and improve the system and reduce polluting emissions, however it seems the implementation of this new system has been poorly managed. Fingers crossed they can get the bus companies to provide the necessary buses and routes that were envisaged in the plan as soon as possible.

To maintain or increase the percentage of the city's journeys made by public transport (a whopping 59% in 2001) will take a very effective and responsive system and to build it effectively from scratch is a mighty ambitious move. Particularly in a place where more informal transport has developed organically over time to provide the necessary services...

"The overwhelmingly comprehensive transportation reform is trying to replace the chaotic private system characterized by its unruly drivers, poorly maintained and visually unappealing yellow buses and high speeds. It was also known for being fun, especially near Barrio Suecia
at closing time around 4 am, slightly dangerous, relatively effective and an incredible study in anthropology." nowpublic.com

This film sounds like an excellent portrayal of the chaos of the former system...

Brezovica

2007-04-02T20:39:00.000+02:00

Brezovica is said to have the potential to be one of the best ski resorts in southeastern europe, right here in Kosovo!
The spooky fog might be a problem however.... it was like ascending into the clouds, quite surreal.

Reburials

2007-04-02T15:16:00.000+02:00

Last week I read of the movement of killed Kosovar Albanians to be reburied in mass unmarked graves in Serbia. I felt deeply saddened for the victims, sickened to know there are such people that decide to do this and arrange it and physically ill that I am in such a place that this could happen.
"When NATO launched air strikes to stop the carnage, hundreds of bodies of Kosovars were dug up and transported over 320 kilometer (200 miles) to three locations in central Serbia and reburied in mass graves to cover up the killings from the invading alliance troops."

Now there are more exhumations in Kosovo, but this time it is families moving their loved ones remains to new homes in Serbia for fear of the graves being desecrated should independance be granted.
"Dozens of Serb families are exhuming their dead, reflecting the deep mistrust and unhealed scars of war that bedevil Western efforts to forge a multiethnic society in Kosovo."

"Most of Kosovo's Serbs fled after NATO bombing stopped Slobodan Milosevic's brutal 1998-99 crackdown on separatists. An estimated 10,000 ethnic Albanians were killed, more than 1 million lost their homes, and 2,000 are still missing.

When the war ended, some Albanians sought to avenge their dead by targeting Serbs. About 200,000 Serbs and other minorities fled, and only about 100,000 remain, most in small, isolated enclaves." iht.com

There are days when you read so much sad and depressing news about a place you are working in, and come up against such difficult political situations that set back your program over and over again, that its hard to find a reason to continue, hard to continue thinking that things can get better, and if so whether you can actually be a part of that improvement. But we have to think it or why else are we here? Right?

Language of play

2007-03-29T14:37:00.000+02:00

On a team site visit recently to an informal settlement* I met these kids who were having a great afternoon mucking around the neighbourhood. Initially I was pretending to pay attention to the talk about the development of the settlement, but actually playing a bit of a game with these kids from afar, copying each others dance moves across the yard. Eventually I went over to speak to them, of course we couldn't understand each other very well when using words but an attempt at sign language had them laughing and playing along. Of course, they all know about cameras and posing!

*an 'informal settlement' is a reasonably misunderstood and contested description for a neighbourhood that is most likely illegally constructed, with a lack of services, lack of secure tenure and usually the domain of the urban poor. I used to think it related only to shanty or squatter towns of self made housing using scrap materials such as those seen in Asia, Africa or South America. However in Kosovo, they can often look like any other neighbourhood with standard houses and electricity and water connected, some even have large brick buildings of several levels, grand fences and gates and expensive cars parked in them!
What defines them as informal here is more likely to be the illegal aspects of the development on land owned by the government or other people and in areas not planned for development.

Spring false start

2007-03-28T23:20:00.000+02:00

A false start on spring, with a few weeks of warm sunny weather rudely interrupted with a sudden cold snap and one of the few decent snow falls of the winter... Its still a novelty for me given the mild winter so I went out to take some photos and experience snow falling on my head!

Where are all the insects?

2007-03-28T22:37:00.000+02:00

After growing up in Australia, and especially after spending a year in Samoa, I have particularly noticed the distinct lack of insects here in Kosovo.
It's a bit spooky. There are almost no small flying bugs, I can't remember seeing any ants and apparantly last summer there were next to no mosquitos. I haven't seen many spiders either come to think of it.

A quick net search provided one possible explanation - the origin of Pyrethrum flowers is Yugoslavia and its "insecticidal efficacy" was known here since the 14th century. However, it seems this flower is a coastal flower, a long way from Kosovo.

Maybe its the thousands of black birds? The thick air pollution? or some kind of result of war?
Were there ever many insects in the past?

Any insect nerds out there? Please explain..

Flowers

2007-03-13T17:47:00.000+01:00

So I received three single flowers for International Women's Day!
2 roses and a chysanthemum... lovely.

"Well-behaved women seldom make history" -- Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

2007-03-07T15:49:00.000+01:00

International Women's Day is something of a big deal here in Kosovo. Already there are hundreds of flowers on sale all over town, and many women carrying single flowers and posies. I was just offered some food cooked by the security guard here at work too.

More seriously this year the UN focus for Women's day is “Ending Impunity for Violence against Women and Girls". Apparently violence against women remains the most common but least punished crime in the world.

There will also be a campaign launched to improve the detection, prevention and treatment of breast cancer in Kosovo as currently there is no Oncology Institute or appropriately qualified personnel or necessary equipment. It represents the most common random cause of mortality among women and while there is no reliable data for Kosovo, the region averages 1 in 9 or 10 women affected.

Generally this is a day to remember to appreciate and respect the role of women in society and history, though seems to me that should happen everyday!

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign

2007-02-24T11:22:00.000+01:00

Driving around Kosovo, usually a challenge depending on road and weather conditions, you notice many strange signs and billboards, a different language, a different road system - as is expected.
But I was particularly intrigued to see small yellow signs with pictures of animals on them accompanied by direction arrows during my first few weeks in the territory.
What could they be? A warning about some feral cat, rat or snake population ahead? But what of the penguin? Surely there are no penguins in Kosovo?
Was it a clever (and weird) marketing campaign for a zoo or new product? Or some kind of animal shelter network? (Again, penguins?).

A rapidly developing, war-torn country could expect to see the development or renewal of leisure and entertainment facilities, I supposed a zoo was not completely out of the question. And the number of abandoned and stray animals certainly increases when there is conflict and increased poverty and require the need for shelters.
The possible explanations ran through my head for several weeks, but each time I came up with one, I would travel on a new road, see a new sign, a new animal and be forced to re-think.

As it turns out, and interesting for a spatial planner working on transport issues (among others), these signs were in fact a kind of universal road naming system created by KFOR (The NATO Kosovo Force) and particularly utilised during emergencies. The main road to the town I am living and working in is Route Fish, after travelling Route Dog from the Airport through the city. To make things even more interesting, or confusing, the local UN mission names some emergency relocation routes after famous composers. I like the idea of soothing classical music playing as I drive down what would be known as Passage Mozart should there be an emergency situation!

The issue with road names in Kosovo is an interesting one, as most road names have been changed several times in the recent past. Most people do not know the current, official names of roads and are more likely to describe a road as “the road to…” or use landmarks or business names to indicate which road they are talking about. For instance, ‘Police St’ in central Pristina is not the name of the street, now or ever, but it contains the main police station and one long section of it is restricted to the parking of police cars only….

Yeah yeah I'm here

2007-02-11T21:52:00.000+01:00

yes, yes, there are more blogs on the way
in the meantime, for those dying to know - i did get out in December. A mad last minute dash in a taxi to Skopje, some wrangling to get on the flight to vienna the day before from a different airport for no extra money, and voila - I made it to Aus... magic.

Only to find myself experiencing 35 degree heat followed 3 days later by the coldest ever December day and "snow on the alps at Christmas.

Crikey! There was so much hail on christmas morning at mum's that it looked like snow.

Bloody Fog

2006-12-15T12:31:00.000+01:00

What a ridiculous place to put your international airport - in the part of the province with the worst weather and regular thick fog!
The last few days have seen most flights cancelled due to the fog.
Why is it so hard to get out of this place?!
grrrr

Sveti Naum Monastery

2006-11-24T12:18:00.000+01:00

Last weekend I visited the Sveti Naum Monastery on the shores of Lake Ohrid in Macedonia. The lake is said to be the largest in the Balkans, and it is certainly one of, if not the biggest I can ever remember seeing.

The monastery is in a lovely setting, the small historic chapel is beautiful and the fresco’s inside impressive. A slightly bizarre and unexpected sight was the ten or so colourful peacocks on the roof of the chapel and around the grounds. I tasted and ended up buying some delicious local honey there. It’s funny how word gets around about these sorts of things to look out for and try.

Ohrid itself is proclaimed on several signs around town as a ‘City of Unesco’, the central ‘old’ city is heritage protected. There are a series of pedestrian streets, paved with marble, and while full of tourist focused bars, shops and restaurants, it has a nice feel to it. Unfortunately due to the training course I was there for (its not all fun and games) I was unable to explore the city during daylight hours and get any decent photos…

A New Country?

2006-11-24T12:10:00.001+01:00

Status

The presentation of the Ahtisaari package has been delayed again to allow for the Serbian elections scheduled in January. This package outlines the recommendations for the future status of Kosovo/a. The presentation of the package comes after an extended and delayed process of discussion and negotiation this year, but still does not represent the end point. There will need to be time for Pristina and then Belgrade to read and analyse the package. Then the Security Council will go over it. This puts the decision on status back several more months, though many are still hopeful for a mid year decision.

How amazing could it be, to be at the birth of a new country?!

How scary could it be if it all goes to shit? There are concerns that these delays run the risk the population getting too restless and lead to a repeat of the March 2004 riots .

It’s been a long and difficult road and many still feel there is no right way to decide status – let alone implement it. The ethnic tension is amazingly high in some parts of the country – it is said to be worse than ever before. In Mitrovice/a there is almost a complete stand off on either side of the river, with no official cooperation between administrations possible. Making the stated task of many agencies near impossible to undertake, including UN Habitat and spatial planning support team.

How can you plan effectively for a divided city?

The duplication of services and infrastructure on each side of the river makes very little sense given the relatively small size (in both area and population) of the northern part of the city. But this looks like the way forward for the near future and somehow we have to find a way to assist the local planners to plan for and hopefully improve the standard of life in this unique place.

First Snow

2006-11-03T16:21:00.000+01:00

Yesterday was the first snow for the season here in Kosovo. It was just beautiful!
I've rarely been able to walk through a city street with lightly falling fluffy snow before, it almost makes the freezing cold weather bearable!
Almost.

WTK

2006-10-26T18:21:00.000+02:00

That's 'War Torn Kosovo' to the cool kids...

To further my planning nerdness I have taken a position with UN Habitat in Kosovo as an 'International Municipal Spatial Planning Advisor'. Now if that ain't a wanky long title for planning nerd, nothing is...

I've been here two weeks and its taking time to settle in and for this country to sink in. Its hard to know where to start in describing what life is like here.

For a start, its reasonably safe. Probably as safe as many western countries are at any rate. Pristina is somewhere between a European city and a Middle Eastern one, with much of the relics of the former Communist days alongside the riches of the Muslim culture and the worst outcomes of a newly market driven economy.

As for planning, Pristina is a mess. Insane traffic, haphazard development and a mix of uses that often don't mix. Its dusty in summer, muddy/slushy in winter, the roads are potholed, pedestrians have to fight the cars for walking space and your ears are assaulted at every turn.

The pollution is terrible with the air and solid waste almost unbearable some days.

But there are some positives to find here. A beautiful mosque (or hundred), a city park in town and a regional park on the edge of town. Also people's homes are the welcome respite from the outside world and are kept as palaces - they even mop the carpet!

Nerdness Confirmed

2006-10-26T18:19:00.000+02:00

Ok its official - when I was in London a few weeks back I took a photo of this bike lane in Hoxton.

State Planning Conference

2006-10-26T18:00:00.000+02:00

Ok so maybe I am a planning nerd. I recently attended the Victorian State Planning Conference in Ballarat and actually attended all the sessions - what's more I took notes!

Highlights included the Dean Hutton from the Curiosity Show, the Japanese Drummers at the Gala dinner

and meeting David Suzuki.

Highlights of the presentations:

Dr Dean Hutton (from the Curiosity Show!)
- If you want to control your future you have to know what has been past
- Until you do it - it is only an opportunity, transform the opportunity
into an action
- Preparation, Opportunity, Action
- Every Atom in the world has energy stored within it
And he showed various new technology materials that could revolutionise the
way products are made - a titanium wire that springs back into the shape
it was originally bent into when heat is applied, and an unbreakable
ceramic material...

Dr Terry Turney - CSIRO
- 1 nanometre = 1 billionth of a metre
- Nanotechnology has helped develop self-cleaning windows, concrete and
showers
- Bio-mimicry (abstraction of good design from nature) and nanotechnology
has helped develop non-reflective surfaces for glass based on the cicada's
wing, 'gecko' tape - sticky and holds lots of weight, sea cucumber inspired
adhesive that sets underwater in less than 10 seconds

Dr David Suzuki
- Foresight was the great survival attribute of early humans that
compensated for the lack of physical and sensory attributes that the animal
world had
- In 1992 there was a warning from hundreds of the world's top scientists
regarding environmental degradation, global warming, population issues etc
but no media took any notice - Why have we turned our backs on foresight?
The tragedy of New Orleans was predicted and measures outlined but
ignored...
- "Human brain is hard wired for order" it doesn't like chaos
- "Conventional economics is a form of brain damage" - Economics is a set
of values posing as a science with externalities removed from the equation
but externalities are the real world, the earth, the environment
- But then much science also removes natural interactions and processes
- We are using up the rightful legacy of our grandchildren
- We are hooked on growth and change, since the 1950s there has been
unprecedented and unsustainable growth
- We have passed the '59th minute' - it could be almost too late to save
the earth?
- We are a part of a single system - held together by air
- What we do to the air we do to ourselves

Andrew Bolt - "Journalist" Herald Sun
- thinks it is sad that people say that nature cannot spare water, wood,
ore for human use
- "our home is girt by sea is now 'our home is girt by urban planning
restrictions'
- asks if we should all live like people in Seoul or Hong Kong in 'chicken
coop' apartments?
- he doesn't see the impending doom - there is no black down descending
- "nothing is bad or good, but thinking makes it so"
- believes it is not healthy to follow green policies
- "we are pleasing nature gods but we are hurting people"
- the backyard is now so despised but that is what most of us have - why is
it 'beyond nature' to tend to a backyard and water it?

Shelley Penn - Associate Victorian Government Architect
- High quality buildings and public spaces engender pride, confidence and
well-being in our communities
- Good design, looks good longer and ages gracefully, and does cost more
upfront
- There is an unprecedented period of human possibility

Dr Ian McPhail - Commissioner of Environmental Sustainability
- Every plannner is an 'Environmental Planner
- There has been a 30% increase in carbon monoxide between 1970 and 2003
- Households are isolated, the modern age is unhealthy - less exercise and
more food
- Urban planning - environment is too dangerous and too unhealthy, today's
children have a lower life expectancy than their parents
- Sustainable solutions - innovation required - aim to reduce car travel
demand, enhance public transport
- There needs to be financial incentives and disincentives ie:
- salary packaging public transport tickets (instead of cars), offer tax
breaks for use of P.T.
- developers could have reduced fees if it is located close to P.T. and
services
- 'greener' cars could have lower taxes / fees

Jim Betts - Director of Public Transport
- P.T must be good and affordable, good is reliable and speedy
- Buses will increase services in Melbourne by 40% over next 4 years
- There is a need to update the technology for Melbourne's P.T. especially
trains
- A long lead time is needed for new infrastructure
- if council's have ideas or projects to integrate land use planning and
public transport planning - talk to Jim (or his department) they have $2 -
3 million available per project

"Are Planners Worth their Salt?" Debate
- Planners = megalomaniac, egomaniac, sex maniac
- Planners have an inflated idea of self importance
- But also low self-esteem?
- 'fat man walks in to a bar' - treatise on obesity, sustainable transport
and alcoholism
- Urban Growth Boundaries are a plague and will be responsible for all the
ills of the world
- We need to release more land!

That's Initiative

2006-09-05T12:02:00.000+02:00

So in my line of work I am interested in the way cities work and how people live and interact, though I am far from being a town planning nerd.

I am fairly passionate about effective public transport and about reducing our impact on the environment. I don't own a car and usually get around on trams, trains, buses, bike or foot... however, I ruin all that by flying in planes that guzzle a years worth of fuel and emit as much pollution per flight as a year of driving a car. I almost never water the garden or use a dishwasher, I always wash a full load of clothes and I don't have a bath... but I take long, hot showers - I can't help myself. But I digress.

I am also interested in how communities work and the potential for them to band together and get what needs to be done, done. Particularly when it comes to developing countries, the resiliance shown can be so amazing!

So coming across this story that combined all of these interests and gave me a laugh gave me just the kick my day needed

Cambodians ride 'bamboo railway'

So given my not quite sustainable ways maybe I should move to zero carbon village?

Building a zero-carbon world

Serendipity

2006-09-03T07:10:00.001+02:00

Wandering around in a daze yesterday, I came upon a wall in a back laneway, covered in quotes and paintings of leaves.
It was EXACTLY what I needed at that moment in time. I felt like somehow I was drawn to this location, like I was meant to see this wall and read these quotes and have them affect me at that moment. I had no plan to go here, I hadn't even planned to be walking around at all, but somehow my errands had disappeared. During my listless, moist eye wander I turned corners as though something else was deciding for me, I even almost took the parallel street but doubled back to take this one. I didn't know they were here. They were not here the last time I walked past this house months ago. It felt completely natural at the time that I had found them. Only now have I started to over-analyse the coincidence and start to feel like a freak. I think I will just have to put it down to Serendipity.

Thank you to whoever created this wall!

Cynical or Practical?

2006-09-01T17:32:00.000+02:00

Should we be cynical as to the motives behind celebrity 'causes'? Or be glad that someone is bringing the suffering to the attention of the mass public?

"Gwyneth Paltrow declares "I am African" in a new advertisement for a charity working in Africa."

Who knew?

2006-08-28T10:33:00.000+02:00

This was in no way meant to be a blog about kites. I just like the song and the lyrics.

But in just a few short days I have come across so much kite imagery, metaphor and art... they're everywhere!

The idea of being able to fly with the wind yet be tethered to someone or something resonates with me more than I've ever realised or thought about before.

Kite Weather

2006-08-27T11:04:00.000+02:00

A great day for kites could also be a shite day for bushfires.

Or make you flip out...

"numerous scientific studies have proven that windy weather can cause all sorts of weird behaviour and can make us moody, grumpy and even a little crazy"