Tapas Garden

As I love to travel and have been spending extensive time in Florida, I feel that the least I could do is comment on it. The Clearwater, FL area is beautiful and well-traveled by tourists. Beautiful beaches (though not as white or pristine as Florida’s northwest beaches) run along the Gulf coast boasting bright green water and soft sand. Though I have my favorite beaches and parks in the area, I want to focus on something that I know quite well, food. I have a passion for food and am quite picky about not only the food but the ambiance, the air, that the restaurant provides. A recent find of mine (that does appear on the top spots in the Clearwater/Indian Shores area) deserves some dialogue.

The Tapas Garden and Wine Bar at Indian Rocks Beach is an interesting mix of Florida and Latin flavor. When I hear tapas, I think of the tapas I ate in Spain, jamon and olives. These are quite simple options and that is what I like about cold tapas. Though marinated olives were an option at Tapas Garden the ham was not which is slightly upsetting because there is little better than Spanish or even Italian hams and salami. The food that I could order however was good. In true Spanish fashion I ordered paella. It was good but too salty for my general taste. Though I opted away from the standard seafood paella mine was filled with chicken, vegetables, and chorizo. The chorizo really added the necessary flavor and for a split moment I felt the warm Spanish sun on my face—well, I was also sitting outside on the patio.

I was eating at a pleasant table facing the street. Though loud trucks distracted me from time to time from my enjoyment (especially when one of them was backing up—beep, beep, beep) I liked the light breeze, the sun, and the feeling of vineyards enveloping me. The restaurant also has a seating area on the side which is the garden seating. It appeared nice when I walked through and a little more peaceful but not as interesting for people watching. I would opt for the front patio unless quiet or romantic accommodations were necessary.

Tapas Garden blended American tastes by adding a pizza (with a thinker crust) to the menu, the local Cuban population by including the infamous Cuban sandwich, and several of the classic dishes of Spain. I liked the food for its vibrant flavor, characteristic of Spanish food, and the comfort of sitting on their patio. However I believe that the accommodations for diverse palettes limit its ability to be a true tapas restaurant and also the pastel colored floral décor was disappointing for I like the punch of the beautiful bright blues and yellows and oranges of a cliché Spanish restaurant.

Timbuktu

Timbuktu was for a long time thought legendary. Its reputation of immensely rich city fed myths in Western Europe and explorers tried their luck to find it. Located in the middle of the Western Africa, it would be discovered by Europeans centuries after its decline. Few accounts related to the city till the eighteen century and as a result the imaginations of the people were easily misled by them and their rarity, contributing to bolster its status as a mysterious place. I am afraid that this article will not be as detailed as I wished it could as sources on Timbuktu remain sparse at least on internet.

Timbuktu was founded by the nomadic Tuareg as early as the 10th century as a seasonal settlement. Roaming the desert during the wet months, in summer they stayed near the flood plains of the Inner Niger Delta. In the eleventh century merchants set up the various markets and built permanent dwellings in the town, establishing the site as a meeting place for people traveling by camel. They also introduced Islam and reading, through the Qur'an. With the rise of the Ghana Empire, several Trans Saharan trade routes had been established. Salt from Mediterranean Africa was traded with West-African gold and ivory, and large numbers of slaves. Halfway through the eleventh century, however, new goldmines near Bure made for an eastward shift of the trade routes. This development made Timbuktu a prosperous city where goods from camels were loaded on boats on the Niger. Muslim scholars from Walata fled to Timbuktu and solidified the position of Islam. Timbuktu had become a center of Islamic learning, with its Sankore University and 180 Quranic schools. In 1324 Timbuktu was peacefully annexed by king Musa I, returning from his pilgrimage to Mecca. The city now part of the Mali Empire, king Musa I ordered the construction of a royal palace and, together with his following of hundreds of Muslim scholars, built the learning center of Djingarey Ber in 1327.
By 1375, Timbuktu appeared in the Catalan Atlas, showing that it was, by then, a commercial center linked to the North-African cities and had caught Europe's eye.

With the power of the Mali Empire waning in the first half of the 15th century, Maghsharan Tuareg took control of the city in 1433-1434. Thirty years later however, the rising Songhay Empire expanded, absorbing Timbuktu in 1468-1469 and lead the city to its golden age. With the capital of the empire being Gao, Timbuktu enjoyed a relatively autonomous position. Merchants from numerous other cities of North Africa gathered there to buy gold and slaves in exchange for the Saharan salt of Taghaza and for North African cloth and horses. Leadership of the Empire stayed in the Askia dynasty until 1591, although internal fights led to a decline of prosperity in the city. The city's capture on August 17, 1591 by an army sent by the Saadi ruler of Morocco, Ahmad I al-Mansur, and led by pasha Mahmud B. Zarqun in search of gold mines, brought the end of an era of relative autonomy. Intellectually, and to a large extent economically, Timbuktu now entered a long period of decline. In 1593, Saadi cited 'disloyalty' as the reason for arresting, and subsequently killing or exiling many of Timbuktu's scholars. The ultimate decline continued, with the increasing trans-atlantic traderoutes (transporting African slaves, including leaders and scholars of Timbuktu) marginalising Timbuktu's role. While initially controlling the Morocco - Timbuktu traderoutes, the grip of the Moroccans on the city began losing its strength in the period until 1780, and in the early 19th century the Empire didn't succeed in protecting the city against invasions and the subsequent short occupations of the Tuareg (1800), Fula (1813) and Tukular 1840. It is uncertain whether the Tukular were still in control, or if the Tuaregs had once again regained power, when the French arrived.

Historic descriptions of the city had been around since Leo Africanus' account in the first half of the 16th century, and they prompted several European individuals and organizations to make great efforts to discover Timbuktu and its fabled riches. In 1788 a group of titled Englishmen formed the African Association with the goal of finding the city and charting the course of the Niger River. The earliest of their sponsored explorers was a young Scottish adventurer named Mungo Park, who made two trips in search of the Niger River and Timbuktu (departing first in 1795 and then in 1805). It is believed that Park was the first Westerner to have reached the city, but he died in modern day Nigeria without having the chance to report his findings. In 1824, the Paris-based Société de Géographie offered a 10,000 franc prize to the first non-Muslim to reach the town and return with information about it. The Briton Gordon Laing arrived in August 1826 but was killed the following month by local Muslims who were fearful of European intervention.  The Frenchman René Caillié arrived in 1828 traveling alone disguised as a Muslim; he was able to safely return and claim the prize. Robert Adams, an African-American sailor, claimed to have visited the city in 1811 as a slave after his ship wrecked off the African coast. He later gave an account to the British consul in Tangier, Morocco in 1813. He published his account in an 1816 book, The Narrative of Robert Adams, a Barbary Captive  (still in print as of 2006), but doubts remain about the veracity of his account.

After the scramble for Africa had been formalized in the Berlin Conference, land between the 14th meridian and Miltou, Chad would become French territory, bound in the south by a line running from Say, Niger to Baroua. Although the Timbuktu region was now French in name, the principle of effectivity needed France to actually hold power in those areas assigned, e.g. by signing agreements with local chiefs, setting up a government and making use of the area economically, before the claim would be definitive. On December 28, 1893, the city, by then long past its prime, was annexed by a small group of French, led by lieutenant Boiteux. Timbuktu was now a colony of France. During World War II, several legions were recruited in French Soudan, with some coming from Timbuktu, to help general Charles de Gaulle fight Nazi-occupied France and southern Vichy France. After World War II, the French government granted the colony more and more freedom. After a period as part of the short-lived Mali Federation, the Republic of Mali was proclaimed on September 22, 1960. After a November 19, 1968, a new constitution was created in 1974, making Mali a single-party state. By then, the canal linking the city with the Niger River had already been filled with sand from the encroaching desert. Severe droughts hit the Sahel region in 1973 and 1985, decimating the Tuareg population around Timbuktu who relied on goat herding. The Niger's water level dropped, postponing the arrival of food transport and trading vessels. The crisis drove many of the inhabitants of Tombouctou Region to Algeria and Libya. Those who stayed relied on humanitarian organisations such as UNICEF for food and water.

Nowadays, Timbuktu is also considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site – this has been so since 1988. As such, Timbuktu holds many wonders and pleasures to the culturally attuned. On a visit to Timbuktu, one can visit museums and an institute dedicated to the preservation of ancient manuscripts and book artisans. Its legend started when Mansa Musa, then the ruler of Timbuktu during the 14th century, went to Mecca on a pilgrimage. It is said that on the way to Mecca, he stopped over in Egypt where he behaved extravagantly by throwing gold around. It is said that he spread around enough gold that the Egyptian currency back then devalued. What happened then was not surprising – rumors started to fly around that there was this city deep within the heart of Africa wherein there was more gold than one can imagine - roofs and streets made with gold, and so on. In the end, its history and image in the popular culture makes it a prized destination for travellers looking for adventure in the desert with a mysterious touch.

-Croissant

Wonky Weather

Torrential rains have fallen over California over the past few days. Tonight is to bring up to ten inches (25cm) of rain (the harshest period of the storm yet). Though I cannot really make comments about the weather as I have very little control over the subject and usually it is considered dull conversation, I still have several questions related to the topic.

1) Why does rain fall while I am not there? I love the rain and I am a little disappointed to be missing it.

2) There are many mudslides, particularly in Southern California, which largely endanger expensive homes along the Pacific Coast Highway. Though these homes are located on a hillside and many overlook the Pacific Ocean, meaning highly prized property, why were they ever allowed to be built in the first place? As a taxpayer whose taxes go into emergency funds that have, in previous serious storm situations been paid out to mudslide residents, I am curious why the land was ever approved for residential use. If the land is not stable to build on, why are tax payers helping with the costs of repairs?

3) With unprecedented weather in other areas of the world (Europe) where are the discussions of climate change? Though this can be a completely natural global occurrence, I believe that this is a prime time for advocates to come forward and be vocal.

One last note, in the article about mudslides the seriousness of this storm really hits home. My hometown lost a little boy in a rain induced auto accident. Though I love the rain, I hope these next hours of downpour are safely enjoyed.

~PB

Crazy Monarchs

I was reading in my 'Easy French Reader' the other day and there was something that I found quite striking. I was reading a story of French history and there were references to the crazy/mad monarch, Charles VI: "En 1392, le roi de France, Charles VI, devient fou...En 1420 les Anglais forcent Charles VI, qui est encore fou..."

Reading this got me thinking...Was he really crazy or did he just not follow societal or leadership conventions of the time. I think about how many monarchs throughout history we have heard were mad. Were there bad genetics (and destructive inbreeding) in royal veins or were they unable to deal with the pressures of court or where they raised to have unreal/unpractical perspectives of the world they they were unable to maintain the image of sanity or were they just beyond their time in not believing in the social conventions and were therefore considered mad.

I think it is interesting to delve into what really made them be considered crazy. I have found a link that explores these mad monarchs from King George III of England to Ludwig II of Germany. This is some of what the page says about Charles VI:

In April 1392 Charles suffered from a mysterious illness which caused his hair and nails to fall out. He was hardly recovered, still suffering from occasional bouts of fever and behaving incoherently, when he set out on a punitive expedition after an assassination attempt on one of his advisors...Charles' mysterious illness of 1392 could have been typhus or encephalitis. If this disease was encephalitis, then it could very likely have been a contributory factor to the bizarre features of Charles' behaviour, for encephalitis can cause a marked character change and give rise to impulsive, aggressive and intemperate activity, similar in its symptoms to those of schizophrenia.

So it appears that he truly did suffer from constrained mental capacities. The question can then become why people tolerated being ruled by the unwell. Locke would argue that the contract between the governed and the governing had been broken. I think part of this revolt can be seen with the American revolution under King George III. Had George III not been ill would the course of history be different?

My Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving, the most traveled and family oriented holiday in the US. Nine out of ten people are spending the day with their family. However, it is disheartening when I am one of those 10% who are not at home. I actually traveled away from my family for the holiday. Working provides ample opportunities and enjoyment but I think that with such a family oriented holiday it is really hard to be away.

This holiday is I believe the most raw of all our holidays. It is not glamorized or commercialized like others nor does it revolve even around religion (meaning no one is left out). This holiday is the one time that I think Americans take the time to find their families and their gratitude and recenter. It is a humbling experience that Americans can all share. Though families hold a lot of drama and sometimes these events are stressful, there is a shared connection that cannot easily be pushed away like at other holidays. We have to take the time to look at what is important to us and attempt to show it.

So the big question then...what am I thankful for? I am thankful for so many things that I do not want to sit here and list them. I will say that my family and friends are always my greatest blessings. They are the most challenging and therefore the most rewarding. I am appreciative of my work and that I have such fun people to spend the holiday with here. And though I felt quite alone today I am grateful for those people who contacted me today to greet me. With that, I will head to sleep with a belly full of food and despite being thankful will feel slightly sorry for myself about having to be away from my home.

Message, manner and art

I went to an exhibition about Street Art recently in Coventry which was, to my surprise, quite interesting. In addition, the art gallery included a museum incorporating some pieces from the 18^th century to now. 

The street art exhibition was focusing on artists such as Banksy (arguably the most famous of them), Miss Tick, Sickboy or Pure Evil. These pseudonyms already manifest a statement about the authors and their wish to remain anonymous. The wishes of some artists to remain absolutely anonymous like Banksy might reveal some form of existentialism thought about just being an average person in the world. This practice is normal considering the nature of their works and its illegality. Indeed, graffiti is their main modus-operandi (but not the only one) and can be found, as it name implies, anywhere in a city. This is one of the main characteristic of street art and it reflects the desire of the authors to use the public space so they can reach the public and thus diffuse their designs or ideas. 

This idea of using the street as a tool also reflect the fact that they feel they cannot be seen in regular art galleries, mainly due to the elitism present there, and also probably for financial and time management reason. This has given way to the development of an underground culture which has been appealing to many. A lot of these graffiti bring with them a political message often encapsulated with some dark humour. They often appear to be criticising governments, traditions and denounce the unfairness of the world. Indeed, the use of opposite symbols in the same work or their falsifications is a recurrent technique leading to a caricatured scene.

I find the dark humour, facetiousness and creativity of these artists funny and interesting. Yet, seeing these works in an art gallery is making feel uneasy about the motives of displaying these already public works in a different place. Is this art a way for them to cry out their feeling of unjustice? Is this wish to remain anonymous genuine or do they just want to be famous in another way? Or is their seemingly opposition to traditions and government a genuine critique of their time or a childish idealist caprice? These artists probably do not care about how people judge them. I guess that my main bite against them is more born out of a weariness of art or rather what is called art and the whole elitism behind it. In particular contemporary art and its interpretation which I believe  is quite grotesque and a bad satire of the art world (especially when it comes to price).

Thus, when I read and look at street art, which is supposed to be radically opposed to capitalism and by proxy to contemporary art, how it is used, displayed and talked about in general; I cannot help but think about contemporary art and that, although street art tries to be different in its approach and in its aspiration, people still long for popularity and a desire to be different which in the end make them very similar. I, for one, could just appreciate art whether it be street art, contemporary or anything else just for the aesthetic aspect of the works and would gladly ignore any critical messages conveyed in most of them. I do not condemn the fact that art can be used to convey a message but rather, the manner in which it is done and its genuineness.

-Croissant

The Three Musketeers

Arriving in the mail as a thoughtful gift, I have started reading The Three Musketeers. I am approximately a third of the way through the book and already have a few comments. Though I find the book entertaining I am not nearly as pleased with this book as I was with The Count of Monte Cristo, and this is why...

1. I believe that Dumas is a thorough writer. As he is writing a serial, he add a lot of details and people and events to extend his story and therefore his pay. However, though I am familiar with The Three Musketeers I was more knowledgeable about the plot and characters in The Count. I think that reading a novel of this nature becomes very slow and bogged down with details if you are less familiar with the general flow of the book. I have stopped looking at all the notes in the back of the book and have decided that it would be impossible to get everything from the book on the first read.

2. D'Artagnan is beyond annoying. As he is the ever present character and I cannot stand him, I find myself frustrated listening to his story. He is quite immature, rash, and has very little foresight. He has just accepted a trip to London to retrieve earrings. This is just one of many actions that moves the plot along but demonstrates his inability to be calm and control himself. He lacks composure and has a vengeance that is quickly activated. Certainly this is just a story and many intrigues are meant for entertainment but I am quickly bothered by his demeanor.

3. Though I like the inclusion of issues pertaining to King Louis XIII and Richelieu, I wish there was more in relation to this topic. In The Count there were many scenes with the King and political questions of revolution. I am sure there will be more about the King and Queen to come in The Three Musketeers however, I like issues of politics and I want to see more in both the royal relationship and the tension between the King and Richelieu. I just imagine that I have not yet hit the climax of events yet. However this only goes to show that the novel is too long in making one wait so long before getting to plot development and away from character development.

4. The book is entitled, The Three Musketeers, however much of the character development does not include these musketeers at all. I am more interested in the characters of Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. Yet I know so little about them at this point and to be honest I cannot tell the difference between any of them. Their individual characters have been described yet there is not enough about them to distinguish them in my mind yet. This however could be the point? They are one unit as the title implies and I do not need to establish individual relationships with any of them.

These are such some brief opinions yet I am anxious to continue reading so I can develop completed opinions.