STAN'S BLOGS

Saturday before last, my friend John and I biked over 50 kilometer, to Egmond aan Zee (5 miles away) and on up through the Schoorl Duin (dunes). John took his son Willem with us on the back of his bike. Willem is a lot of fun to have around, we've spent hours together here at the office (have a big stack of drawings of dinosaurs and monsters). I'm getting quite close to his family, that has really been a blessing. Last weekend was the "60's & 70's" music swap at our Stedelijk Museum. I met the guy who owns the Beatles Museum in Alkmaar. His name is Azing Moltmaker , and I talked with him for quite a while about how he got stated. He had some mock Beatle's jackets with him (the originals are in museums) and two Beatles dresses that girls in the Netherlands wore to concerts back then. He also owns George Harrison's jacket that George wore in the famous Abbey Road photo on the Beatles' White album. Azing said he has the largest collection of Bea...

I had quite a laugh when several days ago I was surprised by this photo of Marion Schreiber, Françoise Pétremand and I, while thumbing through the Alkmaars Weekblad (a local weekly I pick up at our library). Marion is a retired English teacher from Austria and Françoise was the mayor of her hometown in France for 50 years. They were both here last week for our organization's annual three day European FOR conference, where I met both of them for the first time. The evening that Marion arrived the three of us went out for dinner to a "gezellig" restaurant in the centrum called Sumangali (Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine). The owner came over to our table soon after we were seated and asked us if we would mind having our picture taken, as he "sometimes likes to use the photos for newspaper ads." Of course, I never thought I would really ever see the photo that the restaurateur took of us that evening and, as such, just forgot about the incident... until now, h...

A couple of things I think are really cool here are the “vrije uitloop eieren” (free-range eggs) sold at Albert Heijn -- it's kind of like a Dutch Raley's -- and “Echinacea toothpaste.” All large supermarkets in the Netherlands now carry eggs from poultry farms raising birds in open barns or in free-range systems. The toothpaste is just something I have been using ever since I arrived. I like the stuff a lot, although it's not cheap, and I haven't seen it marketed in The States. Another thing I have found fascinating are the views from my apartment and flat windows over the last two years. My apartment and flats have always been up high enough to see out over the roof tops. This occasional contemplation has spurred me to write this poem... Clocks and water déjà vu I can see the hands of a large clock in a tower from my living room in Alkmaar. I could see the hands of a large clock in a tower from my living room in Minden. I could see the hands of a large clock in a tow...

In Alkmaar it's a tradition that on Christmas Eve crowds of people gather at Grote Sint Laurenskerk, a huge, 15th century French Gothic style church just a few blocks away. There was a stage setup inside and groups of people moving in and out all evening as each performance changed. The floor is composed of large, black stone slabs with beautiful art carvings in most of them, and two world-famous organs, the Van Covelens (also known as Koororgel, 1511) and the Van Hagerbeer or Big Schnitger (1636), were played during the service. Hundreds joined in on 12 songs during the service, with readings and a long sermon by a priest/pastor spaced in between the singing. The entire service was in the native language, so we were singing classics like "Silent Night" in Dutch, ha! A friendly guy with his son sat next to me. He couldn't speak English and I'm still not speaking a whole lot of Dutch, yet we actually enjoyed a great conversation and each others company. The whole t...

Back in Alkmaar, The Netherlands... Peace work at IFOR is both active and challenging for me, as I need to interact with people from all over the planet, people who are interested in getting involved with the organization. I've just finished the Fall issue of our quarterly publication IFOR in Action and have already begun work on the next edition. As for off-time, I recently shared with Katie O an experience I had that exemplifies what life is like outside the office here in Alkmaar. One evening I had taken a walk along a loop that traverses the Centrum Alkmaar and passes through the "old quarter." By chance, I came upon what appeared to be an endless procession of children parading on the sidewalk. I think every kid in town must have been there, and half of the adults, who were lined-up along both sides of the streets observing. Each child was carrying a short stick with a colorful lantern dangling from one end, and each group of children had a unique lantern theme:...

Several days ago I arrived, and for the time being will be living, in Minden , Germany. I'll be here for over a month to help-out one of IFOR's 'member' organizations, Internationaler Versöhnungsbund and to establish temporary residency. Tuesday night I moved into a clean and comfortable, furnished, four bedroom flat on the third floor of a large, Tudor-style home. The address is "Steinstraße 26, 32427 Minden," you can find it using Google maps, although no change to my mailing address or anything else. I'm finally able to have access my email, have a private desk and computer at the office, as long as I'm here. Considering that the software's language setting is 'German' (we haven't been able to change it), that the system is very old, the keyboard is laid-out differently, and the Internet connection is very slow, it's going to take me a while to get up to speed. Ha! Stadt Minden is quaint, historic (over 1,200 years old and has ...

You think our sales tax is high at 7.75%, how about the 19% I'm paying here in Alkmaar. The tax is levied on all general goods at the rate of 19%. A lower rate of 6% applies for certain goods and services, such as food products, books, medicines, art, antiques, entry to museums, zoos, theaters and sports. The Netherlands has one of the highest tax rates in the world, with income tax and new automobile sales taxes topping out around 52%. But this country also has one of the highest standards of living: employers pay for workers' transportation costs, usually give employees an extra month of wages at the end of a year, and you get a minimum of 25 days paid vacation. Then there are extra days off based on your age. I'm eligible for 3 extra days. Getting older is finally paying off, ha! Most streets here are paved in brick; each brick placed on edge in a bed of fine sand, this same sand covering the entire country. In small towns, like I where I live, homes are built right up t...

I've heard from friends at Plymouth Gardens (this is the apartment building where I was living in Rochester, NY) about them receiving the computers I had promised. Months before I left, I had been working with Time-Warner Cable to have two decrepit computers in their activities room replaced. The company's Internet Technology department finally said they would do it, but not until fall. Well, the other day they delivered two, brand new "Dell OptiPlex 745" systems with Windows XP Professional installed and cabled Internet. No kidding! Mom asked me what I saw in the sky here. I have a skylight over my bed, so I can look up at night and see stars. That is on a clear night, of which we don’t have many of here, ha! One interesting thing, though, is that looking out my rear view, which is a large floor to ceiling patio door/window set, on any overcast night, there is a very bright, orangish glow across the northern horizon. I wasn’t able to figure out what this ominous pres...

After four days in Geneva with our director, a long train ride through Germany and the Netherlands, I'm finally here in Alkmaar. There's a lot I've seen and experienced already in Amsterdam, at the ocean (5 miles away) and just in our town that is one of the oldest and most historic places in the country. I'll share more of that with you later, but I thought you might enjoy hearing about some of the differences. Ha! Maybe everyone speaks English, but everything else is in Dutch (only): street and train station signs, food labeling, newspapers, tourist brochures, my washing machines, et al. I'm going crazy trying to read info on the stuff I'm buying to eat, drink and clean with. I don't know if it's been washed or not (spinach), if you can use it for machine or only hand washing (detergent), or if I'm using something safely or not (appliances). Here are a few more...   Well-made, touring bicycles are everywhere, painted in dark, classic colors and r...

After four days in Geneva , Switzerland, sight seeing, eating out, meeting with our European Director and, on one evening, sneaking across the border into France, fellow BVSer Solomon and I are finally here in Alkmaar. The town is like a fairytale land, and living in-town has made it easier to learn my way around. The Dutch are kind people, and I seem to fit in... as some start right-off speaking Dutch when I meet them, ha! I finally have a day off after 9 days of much activity and discussion here at the office. Along with the high-spirited, daily work in the office the Gender Working Group and the Representative Consultative Committee, including IFOR's President, have both been meeting here in separate sessions over the last four days. I have been interacting often with both groups since they arrived and have made some more new friends. The people on these committees and I are all from different countries: Italy, India, Wales, Columbia, Madagascar, Austria, Canada and, of course, ...

On the 18th of August, 2007 I had fulfilled my one year volunteer commitment with Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) at the AHEAD Energy project, located on the campus of the University of Rochester in New York. At the same time, I was considering committing to another year at the AHEAD project, after receiving an invitation from AHEAD's Director, Dr. Mary Jeanette (MJ) Ebenhack, and already deciding to continue my volunteer service with BVS. A month earlier, I had received an offer through BVS from the International Fellowship of Reconciliation ( IFOR ), a 90 year old peace and human rights NGO, to come to the Netherlands, again as a BVS volunteer, and serve as their Communications Officer. Although I enjoyed my work at AHEAD and living in Rochester, an opportunity to focus directly on human rights was more important to me. I'd had an interest in such issues, since my early days as the Special Reports editor for KFBK.com , and had begun a blog in 2004, where I was reporting...

The City of Rochester has a rich tradition of volunteerism, and it's growing greener by the year. The entire city is invited to participate in two of Rochester's largest annual events and close to 20,000 actually show up . These caring citizens donate a 1/2 day or more of labor to clean-up streets, parks and river banks, repair buildings and/or make improvements to commercial property. All this done in the spirit of "taking pride in Rochester!" Here are three of the volunteer efforts I participated in within the last few weeks: The Otetiana Council of Boy Scouts of America kick's off the "Clean Sweep" program for the City of Rochester! The project, called “ Scout Sweep ,” is centered in Genesee Valley Park and was held this year on Saturday, April 21. When I arrived, Sylvia, Otetiana Council's District Director, introduced me to Florence, the Urban Director, with whom I was to work with at the registration table along with Rose and Sandra. We logged...

Last week our associate from the Universidade Eduardo Mondlane arrived here at AHEAD Energy's headquarters, housed within the University of Rochester, to work with us for one month on a bio-fuel experiment. I'm restricted from saying much more about the bio-fuel experiments, but I can say that projects in Mozambique are a major focus for AHEAD Energy. Joao is a chemical engineer and lecturer at the state university in Maputo, Mozambique. He has come to Rochester to help us with some experiments on bio-fuels. He sits at the desk next to mine in our office, where we have a chance to chat throughout the work day about Mozambique, and America.  My supervisor MJ (CEO/President of AHEAD), who along with her husband Ben (founder/COB of AHEAD) sponsored Joao's trip, thought it would be kind to show Joao around Rochester. By now knowing my way around the relatively small, Upstate New York, city of Rochester and always willing to explore more, I offered to do the "showing....

[I’m on volunteer assignment at the University of Rochester , serving an humanitarian non-profit called AHEAD Energy ] Just arrived back from a bike ride; it was so sunny and dry out this morning I thought I'd take the Genesee River Trail into town and do some reading at Java's Cafe . After a hearty cup of Colombia Supremo—there's no better, whatever they say—I decided to explore the nearby Midtown Plaza . I'd heard a lot about the " Clock of Nations ," indoor monorail, famous skybridges, etc. and still had not made a visit. And what better time of the year, huh, it was Christmas in Rochester! In front of Messinger Hall I asked an alert-looking woman walking out of the Eastman Community Music School where the Plaza's main entrance might be located. I'd been in Rochester four month and no one that I'd asked, so far, seemed to really know. She struggled for a while and finally took a guess that it was "catty-corner to the Liberty Pole ....

We have Web Cams here on the University of Rochester campus that run 24/7 in two places I frequent daily. This spawned the brilliant idea of doing a campus cam appearance for family and friends back home, for no other reason than to "just say hi!" So, there I was on November 18 at 12 noon EST, after notifying everyone via email two weeks before, standing in view of these Web Cams waving wildly at the robotic lens as it swiveled around in my direction. The first stop was Wilson Commons , a huge four story atrium housing the student center, lounges, restaurants and conference rooms, where I stood on the "Hi Mom Balcony" pointing out such U of R attractions as "The Pit," "The Flags" and "Residence Quad." Then I walked a few 100 ft. over to the Eastman Quadrangle , pacing in front of the stately Rush Rhees Library. All this time I was talking to my Mom and my brother Dan and his family on my cellphone, explaining the history and activitie...

[Last night I attended the " Off Broadway On Campus " musical review The Bright Side of Life , just to hear this song] Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (from Monty Python) From: Monty Python's Spamalot Words and music by Eric Idle "Some things in life are bad They can really make you mad Other things just make you swear and curse. When you're chewing on life's gristle Don't grumble, give a whistle And this'll help things turn out for the best... "And...always look on the bright side of life... Always look on the light side of life... "If life seems jolly rotten There's something you've forgotten And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing. When you're feeling in the dumps Don't be silly chumps Just purse your lips and whistle - that's the thing. "And...always look on the bright side of life... Always look on the light side of life..." Click here for the rest of the song, words ...

I really enjoy exploring the creative thoughts of others, from around the world and especially the Middle East (where cultural roots run deep). I look in libraries, lecture halls, on the streets or wherever and for whomever has a different or new opinion. Bouncing my ideas off someone else's can be exhilarating or exasperating, but always worthwhile to me. So how do I keep from going nuts with all this difference of opinion... The Blind Men and an Elephant! A Jainist version of the story says that six blind men went to determine what the elephant was like. The blind man who touches a leg says the elephant is like a pillar; the tail-toucher claims it's like a rope; the one who feels the trunk compares it to a tree branch; the man who felt the ear says the elephant is like a hand fan; the belly-toucher asserts it's like a wall; and the tusk feeler insists the elephant feels like a solid pipe. A wise man explains to them: All of you are right. The reason every one of you is t...

[The students and staff here at U of R have been really nice about allowing me to feel like a normal part of the campus] Last week I saw a flyer on a posting board in one of the "campus tunnels" that caught my attention... and curiosity. It was an invitation for Saturday night to join in the activities of a fraternity sponsored event called "Hookah and Hummus." The location was right nearby my office, I wasn't doing anything else pressing, so I decided to check it out. Now the location is significant because it's the exact center of the campus , the George Eastman Quad ( see Web Cam here ), where six commemorative red marble benches and a 5' stainless steel compass sit in the middle of a large lawn area. The frat brothers, along with some campus coeds, had a huge "and expensive," three hose hookah setup in the center of the compass on the sacred inscription. About 20 people were standing around the compass when I pulled up on my bike around 9:3...

Halloween night I went to hear a talk by Patch Adams, held here at the University of Rochester and generously sponsored by the Neilly Series . Patch, as you may already know, is a healthcare physician, professional clown, and founder of the Gesundheit! Institute , a holistic health facility emphasizing laughter and humor as an essential part of the healing process. Robin Williams played Patch Adams in the 1998 movie titled with the eponym. But this night Patch was more than Robin could have ever portrayed on the big screen. Dressed much like his character was in the movie, a ponytail down to the middle of his back and a long earring dangling from one ear, Patch was quite the treat... or trick, depending on your politics . The enormous Strong Memorial Hospital , a top-rated medical training facility, is just around the corner from my office. The auditorium was packed full of med students and Patch was really trying to get them 'fired-up'. Forget capitalism and making the big b...

[I walk though this tunnel several times a week on my way to campus libraries, technology centers and food courts] Quietly hidden beneath the UR campus Eastman Quadrangle , lies a 235' long, underground passageway that everyone calls just "the tunnel." This well used, solid concrete corridor is part of a much larger underground pedestrian system that connects eight of UR's integral buildings. But this tunnel is different; painted entirely in passion pink, Smurf blue or you-choose-it —and it can change over night, as it did during this writing—"the tunnel" is also covered from one end to the other in graffiti. "The tunnel" stretches from the Hoyt Auditorium (a large, red brick building: everything is large and red brick at UR) to second tunnel that runs between Morey Hall and Lattimore Hall, after intersecting a third tunnel connecting the Bausch and Lomb Hall and Dewy Hall. Any student that wants to express them self, make a statement or post an ev...

Yes, it did snow here last week, can you believe it! It was beautiful, though, looking out over the Genesee River at the huge Rush Rhees Library dome on the UR campus, covered with a light dusting of winter flakes. All this looking, of course, was done from the warm confines of my tenth story apartment. Otherwise... NOT soooo gooood for a California boy, ha! So, now that outdoor activities are at a premium, it's time to enjoy the indoors. On Sunday I went to see my friend Nikola in The Lower Depths at the UR's Todd Theater . He did some nice work! I thought he was talking about a bit part when we used to chat late at night after he got home from classes. But he played a much larger role as Michael, I was impressed! Nice looking stage wife he had, too, that Virginia. Still, I think he could have taken the Walter character during an altercation in the first act&#151Nikola looked much bigger (he lifts weights for entertainment). Kidding aside, all these young actors did a gre...

[I'm now working with international, volunteer placement organization Brethern Volunteer Services (BVS) Last weekend was " Meliora Weekend " and the " Head of the Genesee " Invitational Regatta... two of U of R's most high-profiled events. This sixth Meliora Weekend (Meliora is a Latin adjective meaning "better," the schools motto is "always better") hosted some of our nation's prominent speakers talking on issues that were as relevant as they were diverse. Student's parents and all past alumni were invited—I met some guys from the class of '44 that had to move out of their dorm during the war to make room for Army training personnel. This year 18 alumni that had made it big were brought back as featured experts and panelists. Drew Carey and the Improv All-Stars headlined Saturday night. The Improv All-Stars are veterans of the British and Carey-hosted versions of Whose Line is it Anyway? and the roster of All-S...

Today I attended "Activities Day" here on the University of Rochester campus. I visited the information table of one of Professor Ebenhack's students, Patrick, a likable guy that come's through my office once a week on his way to see Ben (Professor Ebenhack) in the adjoining office. I like Patrick and have been talking to him about his "alternative energy" ideas. The table was also setup and attended by two of our volunteer students, Mary Ellen and Kean, who are great people and work with us on projects. Patrick has started a local Engineers For A Sustainable World club here on the UR campus and is about to debut his club website as part of his commitment to the parent organization. All three of us were together here in the office a few hours after our staff lunch meeting and I told them I would checkout their setup. One hundred and fifty tables were setup by clubs and organizations, all trying to attract their share of sign-ups, with music, dance performe...

[Ant Hill is not only a communal living environment for its residents, but a focal point of the community] I now have a bicycle, a really cool, "blazing-blue trail bike" that was put together by Jimmy, one of the guys around the corner at the "housing co-op" called Ant-Hill Cooperative . They do stuff like that at Ant-Hill, repair and then give away bikes to anyone that they think needs one. On their website it says, "Ant Hill Cooperative is a housing co-op in Rochester, New York. Ant Hill is not only a communal living environment for its residents, but a focal point of the community. Along with our friends at the EcoHouse (an environmentally-themed house up the street), Ant Hill is dedicated to a new type of community in Rochester, based on better lives by working together." The Ants, as I affectionately call them, have a make-shift bike shop setup in their basement. They also provide drop-in co-op meals for $3 each , just give them a 48 hour head...

No, I haven't gotten lonely, yet; I have several co-workers here at the office, university students drop in every day to volunteer time and expertise on AHEAD's many projects and there are many people in my neighborhood... Then, there's always a trip to "Flour City." On Saturday I went for a hike down along Rochester's downtown water front (about a mile away) and, as you might expect, it's beautiful—you can even drive your boat right up to your apartment building, if you live at the newly built Corn Hill Landing. I also visited High Falls on Genesee River a few blocks away, a 90 foot waterfall right in the middle of town. They once called Rochester "Flour City," because of the numerous grain mills that capitalized on the water power at the falls. I've been told that the flour was once so famous Queen Victoria would only eat bread made from it—she even visited the area once. There were many large, historic relics left behind that you are all...

[I'm here in "the-weather-changes-every-15-minutes" Rochester!] Having completed our 20 days of Orientation ( see photos ) and the closing ceremonies at New Windsor on Friday, Unit #270 BVSers said their goodbyes "several times" before departing on trains, planes or in automobiles that would rush them off to their assignments. My assignment, working on alternative energy solutions for underdeveloped countries with AHEAD Energy Corporation , located in Rochester, NY at the University of Rochester. The weather here has been cloudy and rainy for three days, so I've been thinking about all of you enjoying those warm, sunny California days. I was staying with the founder of AHEAD and his wife, Ben and MJ, in their beautifully landscaped, country style home til I moved into my own two-story house just a block away from the Genesee River . The Genesee River's name is derived from the Iroquois meaning good valley or pleasant valley for anyone interested...

It's been four weeks since I left my BVS Unit #270 friends in New Windsor, MD and completed my 20 days of Orientation. On a beautiful Friday morning, after breakfast, we all gathered on the "great lawn" in front of the "big white," Civil War era, brick building for the closing ceremonies. In traditional BVS fashion we said goodbye to each other exactly 21 times in a curious, circular choreography that took almost a half hour. Now I can look back on Unit #270 with humor and affection thanks to the many photos taken by our Unit's staff, Genelle (back row, far right) and Becky (2nd row, far right) and several BVSers. Our Orientation was a very well planned and directed three weeks of education, field trips, games, and a great deal of "just having fun." I've seldom seen such a health melding of so many diverse personalities, and mine being as diverse as they come. Joe (left photo), a Mid-Westerner who I admired for his stand on issues , once told m...

DAY 20 of "A Journey with the Brethren" On the last day of our four day visit to Baltimore, where we experienced living among the disadvantaged and "left behind" at a men's shelter and rehabilitation center, we changed our focus slightly to spent a day at Jonah House of the Plowshares Project. Jonah House is located at 1301 Moreland Avenue on the grounds of a very old Irish/Catholic cemetery in west Baltimore called St. Peter's Cemetery. Yes, it's located right inside the perimeter of the old cemetery! The house, built by the organization in 1995, is large two story that, with it's natural-wood shiplap siding, actually resembles a "ship of old." Roman Catholic Dominican Sisters Ardeth Platte, Carol Gilbert (photo), Jackie Hudson, along with Jesuit Priest Steve Kelly, are the principle residence of Jonah House. A faith-based, nonviolent resistance community, Jonah House began as a community in 1973 with a group of people that wante...

DAY 17 of "A Journey with the Brethren" One of the more intense training sessions here at Orientation was a trip into Baltimore's inner city for four days to experience homelessness and to do service projects. To better understand the pangs of the disadvantaged we slept and ate each day at a homeless shelter for men called I Can, Inc. "I Can" is an acronym for "Individual, Character, Attitude and Newness of mind." Setup in a historic four story, granite block structure that was once a Catholic girls school called St. Ann's (dating back to 1927), I Can Inc. is located at 2215 Greenmount Avenue:  deep in the heart of Baltimore . Baltimore is mostly a devastated area due to a population that began fleeing to the suburbs in the 50s and the city is only now undergoing a major building spree in the downtown area, specifically in the Inner Harbor East district. The men's shelter and rehabilitation center at 2215 Greenmount Avenue is certainly i...

DAY 11 of "A Journey with the Brethren" Drop-off Day is a BVS tradition that goes back to at least the 70s and has changed very little. It's a day that we as volunteers begin to learn some things about giving and about each other. The essence of Drop-off Day is in volunteers going out into the communities around New Windsor and asking residents for work, odd jobs, inside or outside chores... anything they need done. The work is strictly accomplished at no charge and no donations can be accepted , no proselytizing and the project can be as hard or as long as the resident requests. Ok, this might sound strange at first glance, so to put this particular training session into perspective let me say just a little about BVS. Brethren Volunteer Service is not a church or a religion, but rather a service arm and ministry of the Church of the Brethren. It all started 60 years ago when some idealistic young people of the Church of the Brethren, on their own, began freely he...

DAY 8 of "A Journey with the Brethren" There are many lessons to learn here at the Brethren Service Center—the host facility for BVS's training called "Orientation." Some of our training involves physical and mental exercises in sociology and human behaviour. One recent lesson taught by Susanna, a wonderful instructor from an associated BVS organization On Earth Peace ," involved thumb wrestling. "The Brethren Service Center (BSC) in New Windsor, Maryland, has been helping people in need for more than fifty years. Owned and operated by the Church of the Brethren General Board, BSC houses organizations that work in areas of relief and development, disaster response, social justice and peace education . The facilities include the New Windsor Conference Center, Emergency Response/Service Ministries, SERRV International, Inc., On Earth Peace Assembly (OEPA) and the administrative offices of Interchurch Medical Assistance, Inc. (I.M.A.)." —BSC Website ...