Archives for March 11th, 2004

A lowpoint in modern European history today. My condolences go out to the people of Spain and the victims of today’s barbarity.

Here’s hoping that today’s massacre in Madrid will not come to define the age we live in. The pessimist in me fears that things will continue to get worse, so long as more and more disgruntled idiots turn to violence to advance their cause. Just a few decades ago, it took an organized army backed by nation-states to wreak havoc on the foundations of civilization. Today, just a few bombs and a small gang of imbeciles is enough. And unfortunately, there’s no shortage of either bombs or idiots. And city walls are no longer enough to keep the barbarians out..

Here are some relevant links:

Up-to-date blogging from Spain

Reactions to the blasts on BBC

Pictures and overview at El Mundo (Click on “comenzar” to begin)

Website: http://www.carniola.org
Location: Maribor, Slovenia
Contact info:

Biography

A picture of the author navigating his way through Slovenia in 1998.

In 2001, I moved from New York City to the small Alpine country of Slovakia Slavonia Slovenia.

Slovenia is a chicken-shaped country wedged between Italy, Austria,
Hungary and Croatia with a population of just under two million. (There
is a decent map here)

After a short and relatively bloodless ten-day war in 1991, Slovenia
gained independence from the artist formerly known as Yugoslavia. Two
years later, Slovakia took the Slovakia out of Czechoslovakia, and a
decade of confusion began. The Slovenia/Slovakia problem has claimed
such high-profile victims as The New York Times and the President of the United States, and continues to befuddle innocent people all over the world.

Nevertheless, it’s a wonderful country to live in. Peaceful, green,
in close proximity to magnificent cities like Vienna and Venice, not to
mention natural joys like the Alps and the Adriatic. It’s quite nice. I feel at ease and at home here.

That’s somewhat remarkable for me, since I moved around a lot as a
kid and never really had time to develop an attachment to a place. I
remember a good friend of mine telling me in high school that I would
probably end up living in some obscure place in eastern Europe. I don’t
think either of us actually expected it to happen. But so it goes.

I generally don’t mention my private life in these pages, so if
there’s something you’re itching to know, feel free to ask. Or you can
check the FAQ for more info.

The Slovenian-born forward Gregor Fucka.

Try to imagine how much Gregor Fucka has had to put up with when it comes to his name.

For the record, it’s prounounced “Footschka.” There’s a hacek (Slovene: stresica) over the c, which unfortunately disappears in non-Slavic languages. The result is that English speakers pronounce it as an obscenity.

While we’re on the subject, there’s also a professional athlete named Miroslav Satan. He played hockey for the Buffalo Sabres. Check his ID number on the ESPN page (in the address bar) for a nice, diabolical surprise. This number also turns up on Yahoo! and Sports Illustrated.

(Links via SportsFilter.)