Sunday, April 29, 2007

Dr Murks makes Fish-Face

People are violating on the streets. It newer happens in Estonia that people are violating on the streets. But it still happened or is happening. Did not see them. Saw only on TV, newspapers, heard from radio. People just braking the display windows of shops, entering and taking all the stuff they can carry. A man with wide smile holding lemonade, chocolate and hygienic bandages or young couple from flower shop holding bouquets on their hands. Haa, what makes him to do so? It is the silliest thing ever - just to rob for robbing. Some kind of protest against consumption, against capitalism... NO, the original reason is different.
They say it is the statue in the city center that symbolizes the end of the Second World War, remembers the soldiers died in the War, remembers the soldiers fighting against fascism, symbolizes the defeat of fascism, symbolizes the victory of communism, the victory of Soviet Union, the start of Soviet occupation in Estonia... So, for Estonians it was the end of one bad and start of another. The anger towards Soviet Union is deeply rooted in Estonians, our grandparents, politicians, authorities, cultural heads were killed or deported to Siberia; our farms, animals, homes were taken from us and they were made to nobodies; all public newspapers, books were deeply controlled and censored before published...
I remember an issue of children magazine that was collected from the stores because they managed to publish a poetry about a badger whose home was taken violently by raccoon dog and as referee was one slow and lazy bear the badger could not get the home back . It was just a funny children poetry - why the kids could not read it? - but as it so clearly described the Soviet OCCUPATION in Estonia the issue was quickly removed by... (knowingly by who)

Dr Murks is making Fish-Face. Dr Murks was for the weekend in Southern Estonia having an international seminar on "Creativity in Global Action". Meaning how to become a good Global Citizen, how to make other people aware of the fact that we all live in the one World and depend highly on each other. There were people from Latin-America, Southern Europe and Baltic States. In a simulation game of spreading the money and power around the world a Spanish girl almost started to cry explaining that the money is not the most important. At the same time nobody was really eager to talk about the issue just happening in Estonia. Everybody was just talking so broadly and unrealistic about the problems in the global world and about the activities we can do to make situation better. Once we brought it up there were few questions and after 5 minutes the people were happily dancing Catalonia dances. Dr Murks felt the atmosphere really weird. At one point Dr Murks was talking about it to a Belgian girl lived in Estonia already 2 years and she said quite wisely: "People here do not see how worried you are, how much it hurts you or what it means to you. You are also taking part all the activities and not discussing or talking about it. If you would cry in the corner everybody would come to ask and would like to know more and understand more. Nobody sees your concern course you are happy and smiling and making jokes all the time." True. It is so hard to explain something that is so obvious to one, at the same time explaining ones reasons, discussing and finding solutions together is the most important thing in every kind of good relations. Fish-Face with no emotions, no explanations brings no understanding.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Dr Murks looks for Coffee Recipes

Tomorrow Dr Murks has to make plenty coffee. There is organized a whole day event to celebrate the beginning of the bicycle season. Tartu is just a good size being a cyclists town but there are still little facilities for it. So, plenty coffee and plenty facilities... Hope it could be so easy. No-no. There is a temporary parking place with professional guard on the Town Hall square for people coming to work by bike for that day and from 7am to 9am they will be offered a cup of morning coffee. Dr Murks has to prepare it, Dr Murks has to make it. How many people will there be? 10, 50, 100...
Coffee, coffee, coffee. Hope there will be at least 100, otherwise Dr Murks has to drink all this coffee. At least Dr Murks is not alone. There is also the guard and other people from the Association Bicycle Town Tartu. If plenty bikers are not coming for this plenty coffee, we will drink our next week doses as well...
The day is called "Rattad tööle" meaning "Wheels to Work" meaning that people should use their bikes and as well that bikes should be taken to their workplace every day. In addition to coffee there are many exhibitions put up and there is a competition for the THE-THE .... Bike - depends on the categories made up during the day; and city is explaining their bicycle-roads strategy and the police is coming to explain the safety of riding and the new sticker with a sign "One Car Less" is spread for the people. Hopefully will be fun.The symbol of the day is made by Mdm Svetka

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Dr Murks and 5 new cars

For a weekend a family visited the flat. "Why your room is so messy?" asked Sanna (5 years). "Because I am messy and need all my papers close at hand," Dr Murks had to answer. "Why do not you have any small cars models to play to?" asked Siim (3 years). "Hmmmm," Dr Murks had nothing to answer. But Siim took a piece of firewood by the oven and draw wheels and lights and windshield on it - a car was there. Soon Dr Murks had 5 brand-new cars. Hmmmmmm, not bad.

Friday, April 13, 2007

Dr Murks is the Conqueror

There is/was a discussion in TU Geographers mailing list about pidgin language. A student sent by accident the letter (meant for her peers to revise for an exam) to "The big" list referring to an old academic who discussed that Estonian language can also be seen as pidgin ( for now of course already creole) course it was combined from different dialects - mostly norther Estonian dialect - and many people had to learn it in the beginning like foreign language.
This statement turned on many professors and lecturers. All of them, of course, mostly objecting to it. Many, including Dr Murks, sent some examples from their travels about pidgin they or somebody else had heard. But...
Dr Murks is from the North and never had (m)any problems with proper language. At the same time Dr Murks has been pulled into discussions and Dr Murks has been blamed by Southern fellows in dominating with the language and being conqueror on the land. Hey! It was already some centuries ago!!
Once on the market of Lindora that is held every autumn in the very South-East of Estonia an elderly woman told to Dr Murks: "You really should learn seto dialect! How can you live your life without knowing it." And really, beforehand the same woman asked Dr Murks something in the local dialect and Dr Murks did not get any word. So, again some professors from the south were revealing to sentences in Southern dialect that are really-really different from what we use every day in proper language...

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Dr Murks and short wisdom

Revealing to velocity
the snail did not sleep last night.

Sunday, April 8, 2007

Dr Murks is talking to Mdm Egg

Dr Murks asks the Egg:
"Are you alive or you are dead?"
The Egg asks back:
"Is there a difference?
I am both -
the same for you
there is no distinction between the Two.
What means a life?
What means the Death?
The terms are just parts of existence
like taking bath or having sister.
It is sad to lose a thing or friend
it does not mean they really END.
You wrapped me up in onion peelings
that I could get the colored feeling.
Being golden, fun and happy egg
is all I need and you as well.
The time together -
life or death
can't be the question for the jiff."
Dedicated to Mr Easter...

Friday, April 6, 2007

Dr Murks is working on Gender Equality

"In Eastern European countries as well as in Estonia the paid workers class is more equally divided between men and women than it is in Western Europe (Järve, 2003). In Estonia the share of women among jobholders is 50%, which is much higher than EU average (44%) (Eurostat 2007). Only 11% of Estonian women have part-time jobs (in EU 33%). In Estonia 80-87% of workers in the sectors of social welfare, medicine, hotel management and food are women. Estonian women working days are longer than in Europe, Estonian men spend less time on workplace than European average. On average Estonian men work 4h 55min per day, women 4h 9min, Finnish men work 5h 24min and women 4h 7min. Norwegian women spend the least time on paid work - 3h 39min (Järve 2003). Within Europe the difference between the salaries for men and women is the biggest in Estonia, 25% (Eurostat 2007)."

Dr Murks is sitting by the computer on Good Friday and working..


Monday, April 2, 2007

Dr Murks in Global Action

Big words, big actions. Uniques change, unique campaign, great success, great achievement, great contribution, global responsibility, global issues, global development, development education, development aid, development cooperation, different perspectives, young engaged committed people, dedicated, creative, enriching, mutual inspiration, urgently need to spread knowledge, public awareness... UN Millennium Development Goals...
Dr Murks head is full of these concepts. The problem is that the meaning is still foggy and often unknown the need on these even after a year in global education network... All of these people can use these words, combinations, but seems that most of them do not really know what the concepts mean... At least Dr Murks meets difficulties to give definitions. And for now again got enough of these topics. Luckily (or not?) here in Tartu people do not care much ab Global Whatever - Dr Murks can peacefully take a small brake in intensive thinking and discussing about these so-so broad theories.
Shallalllaaa!