Category: Featured

Madrid (pre-written, posted from Toledo)

Greetings from Madrid! I’ve been in Spain for three days now and it’s already been a very memorable experience. I’m being dropped into two new things at the same time: European culture and history (it’s my first time here) and the Spanish language and lifestyle.

My first day here was pretty mellow. I got to the hotel earlier than I expected and had a few hours to burn before meeting up with a few other study abroad students who had showed up a day or two early like me. After we met up, the four of us explored Madrid for about five hours. We walked all around el Parque de Buen Retiro, which is comparable in my mind, if a tiny bit smaller, to Central Park. Later in the evening we explored more city streets and found ourself at the Plaza Mayor, which has played host over the years to royal weddings, burnings of heretics at the stake, bullfights, and much more. Before long, the jetlag started to wear in so we had a much earlier than usual dinner – 6 or 7pm – and I headed back to the hotel at 8. I forced myself to stay awake until about 10:30 in an effort to adjust to local time.

The next day was free until the ISA meetup at 6pm (ISA is my study abroad program) so I met up with the early folks again and we walked around Madrid for another six hours or so. We strolled around el Parque del Oeste, saw the Palacio Real (royal palace) and a cathedral built next to it. That afternoon we found a great tapas bar and I later sampled churros con chocolate for the first time.

That night we had an ISA meeting and got to meet everyone else doing the ISA Granada program, including my roommate Matt. We went on a night bus tour of Madrid – the people who had just arrived that day were nodding off through the whole tour – and later that night a couple of us went looking for nightclubs and ended up at some pool hall.

Today we went to Valle de los Caidos (“Valley of the Fallen”) and El Escorial. Valle de los Caidos was constructed by fascist dictator Francisco Franco as a monument, an enormous basilica cut into the mountainside, and a monastery. We happened to go there while Sunday morning mass was going, and we got to watch the monk-led mass. The songs and prayers were most beautiful, and the acoustics of the underground granite basilica were beyond description. For the first five or ten minutes I was just stuck in some kind of hypnotic reverence. Then a few other things started to pass through my mind: how over 30,000 Spanish Civil War combatants’ remains lie in the walls and floors of the monument, how maltreated Republican prisoners were forced to build the huge thing before its ironic dedication to the fallen soldiers of both sides of the conflict, the discomfort from the idea that the mass’ beautiful and selfless expressions of love for the almighty were being done in a place with roots in violence, fascism, and even slavery.

Valle de los Caidos is a curious place today. Now that Franco is dead and democracy has come to Spain, the context in which it was built seems a bit hard to understand. My Fodor’s travel guide describes it as a monument to fascism’s victory over democracy to some, and to religion’s victory over communism to others. Being just a few hours later now, I don’t know exactly what I think about it yet, but it sure was fascinating regardless of my unresolved moral quandary.

El Escorial was cool. Saw the tomb of all the Spanish kings and queens since the 16th century. Apparently they don’t put their bodies in the big rock caskets until they’ve sat in the “Rotting room” for about 25 years, which is currently occupied by three members of King Juan Carlos’ family. Once they’re done rotting, the tomb will be full and they’ll need to build another one to fit Juan Carlos somewhere.

Tonight more people plan on going out, and tomorrow we tour La Reina Sofia (where I’ll see Picasso’s Güernica) and then leave for Toledo.

 

I have so many first impressions, I don’t really know where to even start. I guess I’ll just dump as much as I can out now so I can compare them to what I think later once I’ve been here for a longer time:

  • Adjusting to the 8-hour time difference is bad enough, but on top of that Spaniards have a very different meal schedule: a very light breakfast, a large and long lunch around maybe 2:00 or so, and dinner isn’t until 9 or 10. I haven’t adjusted to this at all, so I’m practically living off of granola bars when I get hungry. I think I’m down to my last one now, I’ll have to go buy more from El Corte Ingles before going to Toledo.
  • Madrid is EXPENSIVE! I hate the process of converting my spendings to dollars and realizing how much I’ve spent.
  • I’m definitely noticing so much stuff in town that’s really old (where “really old” means like… within the last 600 years or so). The U.S. has almost nothing older than a couple of hundred years, especially in populated areas, so walking around town and seeing old monuments everywhere is a real trip.
  • All the men wear spandex pants while jogging. I have yet to see any female joggers. Two strange observations.
  • Nighttime fashion for men seems to require a large black jacket. I don’t have one of these. I wonder how ridiculous I must look.
  • Madrid is cool, but I wouldn’t want to spend 5 months here. I think I prefer cities that don’t have populations of 3.5 million.
  • The metro system here is the best I’ve ever seen – better than the NYC metro or BART/Muni. 1 euro will get you anywhere in town and the trains run every few minutes.
  • I’m really glad I had a couple of days to see Madrid before hooking up with the rest of the group. The four of us went around town with no agenda and we had to stick our necks out more. Once we get to Granada it will be great, I think.
  • Wi-fi is hard to find, and expensive. I have yet to find a free wi-fi hotspot here. I’m writing blog posts offline and preparing picture uploads to go up later. I’ve also realized how much I rely on my iPhone’s internet connectivity now, it’s become a subconscious reflex to check for missed calls and new e-mail, despite my total lack of connectivity.
  • I’m anxious to start meeting and mingling with more Spaniards. Getting on and off of tour buses with other Americans lets me see Spain, but not live it. This will soon be remedied in Granada, I’m sure.
  • Editing photos on an 8.9”, 1024×600 screen is a pain that I wouldn’t inflict on my worst enemy.

Photos

The Shoe’s on the Other Foot

Yesterday and today’s news headlines have been making me laugh:

December 17, 2008, 7:27 pm

Gay Activists Decry Pastor’s Role in Swearing-In

By Sarah Wheaton

The Rev. Rick Warren, a conservative evangelical pastor, has been tapped to deliver the invocation at President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration – and gay rights advocates are not happy about it.

Hmm, where have we seen this before? Oh yes, that’s right:

Famed Pastor Defends Invitation to Obama

By NEDRA PICKLER
The Associated Press
Wednesday, November 29, 2006; 11:14 AM

WASHINGTON — Famed pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren Wednesday defended his invitation to Democratic Sen. Barack Obama to speak at his church from objections by other evangelicals to the senator’s support of abortion rights.

Obama is one of nearly 60 speakers scheduled to address the second annual Global Summit on AIDS and the Church beginning Thursday at Warren’s Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif.

So two years ago we have pro-lifers “outraged” over Obama’s invitation to an AIDS summit, and now we have gay rights advocates “outraged” over Warren’s invitation to an inaugural event.

Personally I bet the media exaggerated both of these people, as I know some pretty rational people in the pro-life camp and the gay rights camp that aren’t freaking out over this. But regardless of the  amount of people who took offense to one invitation or the other, I think that those who did have missed the point about what Barack Obama is really about. Consider the following from his 2006 book The Audacity of Hope:

But for those of us who believe that government has a role to play in promoting opportunity and prosperity for all Americans, a polarized electorate isn’t good enough. Eking out a bare Democratic majority isn’t good enough. What’s needed is a broad majority of Americans – Democrats, Republicans, and independents of goodwill – who are reengaged in the project of national renewal, and who see their own self-interest as inextricably linked to the interests of others. (40)

Our country needs to move forward. I don’t care what you think about gay rights, abortion rights, any of it: we need your voice. We need everyone to work together on making actual progress instead of this self-destructive fight to silence people who disagree with us on this issue or that issue. Democracies function best when everyone puts their word in. And I honestly don’t give a crap if the guy working with me to stop AIDS is pro-choice or anti-gay. If we continue to shut ourselves off from each other, we will make no progress on anything.

An Election Prayer

May this country’s future be one worthy of its founding ideals of freedom, equality, and self-determination. May we come closer and closer to liberty and justice for all.

For everyone who has made up their minds and fears a negative outcome, comfort.

For the polarized and disagreeing, understanding and respect. May we not be a nation divided by our different ideals, but one nation that is strong because of our freedom to be different and united in our stand for that freedom.

For those who serve their country and their community, courage.

For our leaders, discernment. May they be humble and servants of the people, not self-righteous abusers of the powers we entrust to them.

For the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free, hope and justice.

As this government is an institution of fallible people, and therefore is itself fallible, and as no elected official or written statute under such a system will be without its shortcomings and imperfections, I pray for grace and mercy after our inevitable mistakes.

For all in the world, peace and prosperity.

Amen.

Responsible Economic Recovery

The Bush administration’s proposed $700 billion, no-strings-attached bailout of the financial industry is meeting strong opposition from Congress on both the left and right. Senate Banking Committee chairman Chris Dodd, a Democrat, said, “What they have sent us is not acceptable.” Kentucky Republican Jim Brunning said the plan would “take Wall Street’s pain and spread it to the taxpayers… It’s financial socialism, and it’s un-American.”

Not only is this plan risky, but it’s extremely expensive. For comparison, the “liberal,” Democrat-written economic stimulus act passed earlier this year totals $256 billion – $904 per American. (This includes spending over the next 10 years, not just the tax rebate check this year.) The Bush bill would give up to $2293 directly to irresponsible businesses on behalf of every single American. Conservatives, please take note!

The current financial crisis must be dealt with quickly – if we take no action, we will be in a horribly worse situation. But we have to make sure that we take the right action; there are no second chances at this. The rationale for any government intervention is that preventing the failure of these huge companies is not in the public interest. Indeed, if some of these huge companies were to fail, it would have a devastating impact across America. By contrast, the Bush bailout is simply a $700 billion check to the companies that are reaping the consequences of their irresponsibly risky actions.

The federal government must take actions that are truly in the public interest. This means not only keeping these huge companies from failing, but making sure that they cannot continue to take advantage of middle class Americans who are already struggling. Regulations must be put in place to ensure that taxpayers’ investment in these companies actually will benefit them.

The Barack Obama campaign has started a petition online for an economic recovery plan that actually works for Americans. This issue is clearly not a matter of left versus right. Americans need to come together and demand accountability and responsibility from big business and Washington as they plan our economic future. I encourage you to go sign it – this isn’t about Barack Obama or John McCain, or left versus right. It’s about protecting all Americans.

Here is the text of the petition:

Show Your Support for a Responsible Economic Recovery Plan
We are facing a financial crisis as profound as any we have faced since the Great Depression.

Congress and the President are currently debating a bailout of our financial institutions with a price tag of $700 billion in taxpayer dollars. We cannot underestimate our responsibility in taking such an enormous step.

Please sign on to show your support for an economic recovery plan based on these guiding principles:

  • No Golden Parachutes — Taxpayer dollars should not be used to reward the irresponsible Wall Street executives who helmed this disaster.
  • Main Street, Not Just Wall Street — Any bailout plan must include a payback strategy for taxpayers who are footing the bill and aid to innocent homeowners who are facing foreclosure.
  • Bipartisan Oversight — The staggering amount of taxpayer money involved demands a bipartisan board to ensure accountability and oversight.

Of Stocks and Bailouts

My eyes have been pretty much glued to Google Finance for the last two days, what with the biggest stock drop since 9/11 and all. It’s interesting to watch pan out… I’m not incredibly pessimistic about things in the long term, but it makes me wonder how much our economy will change in terms of who pulls the strings.

Merrill Lynch got really lucky and was bought out by Bank of America, saving them from bankruptcy or a federal bailout. Bank of America’s been doing OK, but I have to wonder what will happen when they grow so big that the federal government can’t afford for them to fail. Will they get bailed out? At what cost?

I noticed that my bank, Wells Fargo, has done pretty well through all of this. Word is that they’re much more conservative in their commercial banking and mortgage operations, and didn’t bring financial hell upon themselves because they weren’t giving out crap mortgages in the first place.

More disturbing to me is how the Fed will be bailing out AIG, the country’s largest insurance company, and taking an 80% ownership stake in the company. This means that the federal government will own the country’s largest insurer. While I don’t completely subscribe to laissez-faire economics and politics, this definitely seems a bit off. Let me get this straight: our government is buying the biggest parts of the so-called “free-market” at the same time that it takes out huge deficit-spending loans from China to finance its prolonged occupation in a country that has its own budget surplus.
Yes. That most certainly makes sense. Now if you would please excuse me while I go wring out this towel that’s dripping with sarcasm.

I’m not opposed to socialized government ownership of things. But with how our government is handling the economy in a system that’s designed to minimize government interference in such things, it makes me think twice about putting the same people in charge of more stuff. (side note: Bush and McCain are still plugging our economy’s resilience and strength. Hmmmm…)

Direction

Things are winding down here… I’m moving into a new and very different house in the next 3 weeks. While school remains the same, I recently switched positions at work, and in a few months I will also leave the country for a whole semester. Needless to say, a lot is changing.

But I’m also at one of those points where I can’t really see what lies beyond the next year or so. I’m questioning my priorities as they relate to school, careers, and relationships.

I can’t tell if I want to have a tech career, and if I do, do I want to work for a big company? A startup? Freelance? Also, a very big part of me knows that I get more enjoyment out of my music. Josiah (our guitarist/lyricist) has spent the last few months making big steps towards doing music full-time. I admire his resolve towards making that happen, and I really want to do the same – but I’m not at a point where I can do it yet. I know that I can keep making steps in that direction, but that comes with the opportunity cost of other things that are important to me.

Once or twice a year, I come back to the point where I blog about “doing too much” – spreading myself too thin to the point where I’m not able to really specialize in anything. I always had the feeling that as I got to higher levels of education, or that as I matured, these things would sort themselves out and I’d discover my true “calling.” That may still turn out to be true, but I’m starting to consider the possibility that it’s not a symptom of me being young and restless, but rather a distinctive part of who I am. Maybe my appreciation and understanding of technology, arts and humanities is supposed to be too wide to really concentrate on one area and forget about the rest. If so, I really don’t know how that should translate into the way I live my life, but I think that it’s something that bears more investigation.

I know that some of this stuff can take a lifetime to really figure out, and that some of my questions will never be answered. But I do feel a mild anxiety about choosing a path while I still have a lot of freedom to move around. I don’t have the need to completely support myself with a job yet, and I don’t have a family to care for. The next few years will be the most opportune time to drop everything and try my hand at something else: to live in Spain, to be a full-time musician, to be a Peace Corps Volunteer, to be a freelance web designer/developer.

Ultimately, I have a gut feeling that everything will turn out well, and that I’m just working myself up over it because I can never accept uncertainty until I have a full contingency plan laid out. I’ll be off to a good start once I have that CIS degree, and I won’t let myself assume the big financial or familial responsibilities until I’ve found the things that resonate best with my personality.

OK, enough. I think I’m gonna go drink a steaming cup of Stop Worrying And Just Enjoy Life, Dammit! now.

How music is faked

This was on Digg, so some of you may have seen it, but I think it’s worth repeating here. They took the strict ingredients for pop music to recreate its end result:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irk3_p15RJY&w=425&h=344]
(link for facebookers)

This happens for all styles of music, including classical. Except for the most trained ears (not mine) it is impossible to tell whether or not recorded music reflects upon the actual skill of the musician. Right now it’s most true with vocalists, but the tools are evolving to let even the most complicated of instrumentals be edited and tweaked to the point of false perfection.

For many, this doesn’t make music any less enjoyable. After all, who cares how it was made if it sounds good? As a music listener, I don’t have huge problems with it, as I’m sure that a lot of my studio albums (if not all of them) have received such treatment. But as a musician, it feels like a disappointment. I like to appreciate artists with remarkable skills, and talented musicians are the ones who really lose out most on this “musical photoshopping”. Sure, when I record drums, I want them to sound perfect, so I don’t object to fudging a few things so that listeners don’t notice my mistakes, but that can’t be done with live music. Hearing something difficult to play on a recording is one thing, but seeing them pull it off with such precision live is another one entirely.

Here’s another point in case, just to beat a dead horse: Saosin’s “Voices” has been nagging at me for about 2 weeks now. Watch the first verse twice: first pay attention to the singer, and then the drummer.

Studio

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avu9oeqeD2k&w=425&h=344]

Live

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYqJyrv_LYo&w=425&h=344]

The vocalist is considerably more annoying live- whiny and shaky on pitch. But the drummer’s beat during the verse is incredibly solid – both in recording and in live performance. That’s something that only comes with a lot of work, unlike studio tweaks.

I’m shutting up now, I’m longwinded even when I blog.

Second NIN Album in 2 Months- This one’s free

I wrote about Ghosts I-IV a couple of months ago. Nine Inch Nails made the first 25% of their new double album available for free on P2P and BitTorrent, and offered the rest for just $5.

Today Nine Inch Nails have released yet another album. This time, payment isn’t even an option. It’s all free, in everything from MP3 to 24-bit/96 KHz WAV files (higher quality than Audio CDs).

I’m surprised by the speed of production here. There are a few things that make it a bit less than amazing in my eyes:

  • Trent Reznor is free of almost all institutional/corporate ties. Very few steps lie between his studio and getting the album everywhere online.
  • Nine Inch Nails became popular in the old music industry. Ghosts I-IV pulled in lots of cash because it marketed itself and tons of people bought it. This wouldn’t happen similarly for a new band, since they need both income and promotion without sacrificing one over the other.
  • If there is minimal monetary risk involved in the recording process, I wonder if less caution is thrown towards the quality of the composition / performance / recording. Or maybe the lack of that stress helps artists loosen up more and be creative. I haven’t listened enough to the new album to make a judgment one way or another on this, but regardless of the artist, it’s something that deserves some scrutiny.

In any case, anything that proves to consumers and music executives that new distribution methods are indeed possible is a good thing in my book.