sN

ews

New

eeb

tJune 2

009 -

Iss

ue 6

- T

urk

ey

Refl

ect

io a

s a T

oo

.•

nl

• H

eav

non

Eart

?e

h+ M

o!

re

Nb‘Keepingit real!’

Photo

’ Van G

erv

en -

One o

f Is

tanbul's

many

impre

ssiv

e m

osq

ues

(3) Living as a 100% man(4) log Turkey(5) Reflection for Development(6) Heaven on Earth?(7) Airbase for the Arts(8) Guerrilla Urban Repair in Toronto (9) Funity

route

Contents

Amanda’s Notes

The SLOW Journey arrives in the Netherlands

Editors: Jon Earle and Aukje van GervenContent Editor: Amanda GommAssistant Editor: Angus ArgyleContributing writers: Qin Qing Xiang, Martin de la Rue, Carolin LindnerContributing Photographers: URS, Xiang, Lindner, Gomm, Earle, Van Gerven

Dear Newsbeeteers,

Xiang opens Newsbeet this issue with 100% China, Jon and Aukje reflect and question, Carolin remodels a Nazi airbase into a creative art force, and the Urban Repair Squad redesigns Toronto. Phew! There's a little something for everyone in this issue and a bit of challenging fun in in this issues Funity.

Enjoy :)

Would you like a feature in Newsbeet? Mail me at:

. Next Issue deadline isJuly 1st Only 3 spaces each issue!

amanda@beet-route.com

Cycling the Mediterranean coast

Wooooohooooo! 's website is now alive and shall be updated regularly this year. We have recently redefined what beetroute is:

beetroute is a vehicle to explore edutainment. It communicates fun, adventurous and sustainability focused projects, products and

services with a global audience. For a visual check out 'what is'?

The SLOW Journey, beetroute's inaugural project, was safely completed in the Netherlands on June 7th, much to our delight of finishing and sadness for not continuing. Visit our extensive , to read, see and engage with more of our stories and adventures.

Newsbeet is in it's 6th 'Keeping it Real' Issue and we are delighted that we can continue sharing articles and stories from various parts of the world. These wonderful individuals and teams are passionate about what they are doing, are truly standing up for what they believe in and are positively making a difference within their communities. Pdf's of our past issues are available online - and to subscribe for future issues - .

Beetroute is not finished! This is only the beginning. Join with us in Newsbeet's August Issue to celebrate beetroute's first year... and see if there is anything around the corner.

Many thanks, Jon and Aukje.

beetroute

archive

newsbeetsubscribe

I remember a time, back in 2007, when a friend and I were sitting in a downtown Vancouver café. We, like most friends, were reminiscing about our ideal futures and how to achieve them. I remember my friend saying “It feels like you need to be the 100% man” referring to the amount of effort an individual needed to output, in order to make their dreams come true. Back then, I had not yet experienced what it felt like to live at 100% of my capacity. But, I was soon to find out.

My trip to Canada had inspired me and I returned to China with a new vision. I had been exposed to a new concept of living and now wanted to be a catalyst for positive change while seeing the world. So, in December 2008, I left my previous job and became an entrepreneur. I set out to launch a new company called with five of my previous co-workers and friends. We had a large business goal to become the best provider of outdoor education school programs, Destination Management Company and Travelers activities in China. But with this new and large goal, we were aware that this idea of working at 100% of our capacity might soon become a reality.

This in fact turned out to be true and my new life as a 100% man ensued. This lifestyle consisted of averaging a 10-hour work day sitting at a desk, registering the new company, building the office, ordering our outdoor equipment, and writing content for the website, marketing materials and staff training documents. Four months of non-stop prep work and then Terratribes was officially running! However, this success did not mean I could slow down and take a rest… instead it meant things were going to get much busier! At this time I had also noticed that in these working circumstances, of trying to do everything at 100%, not only changed my professional life but also began to change other aspects of my life…not necessarily for the better.

Although I was happy with our initial steps toward success, I began to notice changes in my physical state. I was gaining weight! I had always been an active individual but now was stuck behind a desk most of the time. An extra layer of padding around my stomach came as a result. My sleeping patterns had also changed. I was finding it difficult to sleep through the nights and hard to focus during the days.

Terratribes

On the other hand, I have gained some unbelievable experiences from my work with Terratribes. I have learned that many things are harder than they initially seem. That starting a business requires a ton of skill and the courage to face many challenges. You need to be able to conceptualize, manage, plan, prepare material and program information as well as communicate effectively. I learned that these challenges were exactly what I was craving so that I could grow through these experiences. What I think I have learned the most is that in the beginning it may be necessary to give everything you have to a dream or a passion. You can give a dream all the time, attention, and care that you have but eventually you need to find balance.

Living as a “100% man” does not mean that you exclude important parts of yourself to fulfill a single goal. Instead, a person must include every portion of who they are into a lifestyle that includes that goal, so nothing is missing – so that you are whole. Spending time with the people you care about and who support you is extremely important, as is taking care of your health. Don't neglect the aspects of your life that make you happy, for if you are not happy, you are not at your 100%.

‘Living as a 100% man’ - By Qin Qing Xiang, China. Developed by Amanda Gomm.

Xiang Giving it 100%

�Kms Travelled:

�Water in Plastic bottles consumed:

Lowlight:

�Highlight:

By bicycle 300+ km. By bus, ferry and on trucks, more than 2000 km.

10+. We had to force ourselves back into using the Miox, which took time.

Having worked on our website, and not being able to launch it in April.

Cycling from Marmaris towards Bodrum along the coast. Meeting the fit and healthy elders in the small rural towns.

beettv

routelog - Turkey

Israel and Lebanon:

( )

The team travels to two of the major conflict zones of the

Middle East 10min

Syria: ‘

( )

Rain, cold, snot and bum-grabbing

motorcyclists… This is an episode you do not want

to miss!’ 10mins

Turkey: ‘

( )

Hitch-cycling, mosques and spring blossoms… Join the beetroute team when

they cycle through Turkey! 10min

NEW

What is ?beetroute is a vehicle to explore edutainment. It communicates fun, adventurous and sustainability-focused projects, products and services with a global audience.

Photo Opposite: EarleVillage elders pose They're much friendlier than they look here.

Reflection is a tool that can open up a whole new world of thought, perspective and can result in amazing personal growth. Often, when I look at a work of art hear a song lyric, see a movie or a cloud or more, etc. ... I associate it with a real story or current event within my own life. And upon reflection, as I see different angles, I can grow as a person. This is one of those.

On a remote, hilly country road in Turkey, Aukje and I encountered two men on a motorbike. The men motioned for us to stop by using a downward patting motion with one hand. This was not unusual. While on The SLOW Journey, we have met many people from different cultures, and often locals use this hand gesture to get our attention. Sometimes it is used to talk, other times to sell and greet, but mainly we have found it to mean they wish to ask for money. As my bike approached theirs, I slowly continued onward and smiled politely as we have found this is the easiest way not to get caught up for extended amounts of time. Using their motorbike, the two men pursued us. They stopped ahead of me. This time, at the last minute, one of the two physically blocked my way with his body. I was singled out and now began to fear not only for my own safety, but also for Aukje who was cycling some 50 metres ahead.

So what do you do? What follows is in the same way I viewed the picture. My initial concern was for my partner (older couple). My secondary concern was the expensive equipment I was carrying and my

bike (gold vase). In that moment, I encountered the classic fight or flight instinctual decision. One man stood in front of me blocking my path and the man remaining on the motorcycle was behind me revving the engine. Flight was not an option. I had already attempted to cycle past the men the first time. Not only that, but their motor versus our pedal power, we would never have stood a chance. It's truly amazing what the brain can deal with, in the space of a breath.

On that day, a very large chunk of luck/coincidence/divine intervention or whatever you choose to think, was on our side...-It was not until later, after a time of reflection, did I see (suggestion: change “see” to “realize”) that these two men were simply having a good time. This was their form of fun on an isolated road in rural Turkey. They certainly enjoyed seeing the whites of my eyes, much to my distress. Thankfully, a car approached (distant figure), which was enough of a deterrent for the troublesome pair to race away laughing on their motorcycle.

Within minutes, Aukje and I were on our way again. However, we constantly checked over our shoulders when any motorcyclist approached us from behind.

It has taken time and reflection for me to unfold, unravel, and process this event. To be able to see the different perspectives which aren't always possible in the intensity of the moment. In this reflective phase, real learning can take place. In my case, I would like to think that should this situation arise again that I will extend a hand, a snack, or something else to soften the situation, instead of being in a place of fear.

A Final Question: Suppose, instead of seeing the image of the older couple first, I naturally see the image of two men having a merry time, or a gold vase. Would the scenes have developed differently?

,

‘Reflection as a Tool for Development’ - Jon Earle

1)Begin by drawing your attention to the picture. Please look briefly, only briefly... What do you see?

2)Then again, just briefly... what do you see this time?

3)Please repeat once more and study the picture a little more carefully.

Jon's Perception - What I saw first, was anolder couple facing each other. During the second glance, I saw a gold vase in the centre of the picture. It wasn't until much later after a period of reflection, did I see two men having a merry time, and then lastly... a distant figure walking out of a door.

coolo

pti

calillusi

ons.

com

‘Heaven on Earth?’ - Aukje van Gerven

I was tapping away on the computer in the communal room of our 'pansiyon' (a sort of homey hostel), when my ear caught the conversation between a guest and one of the pansiyon's owners. Well, actually, the owner talked and the guest regularly replied 'mmm hmmm' to the end of each sentence the owner spoke. The guest was asked if he was a Christian. The guest replied he believed in nature. The owner immediately starts rambling: 'Isn't it better to believe in a God than in nothing my friend?', 'My friend, how can you believe in nothing?', 'I read this Stephen Hawking book my friend, and even he says that there is only a one in a billion chance that the Earth exists by chance'.

I sigh to myself and think how he is taking Stephen Hawking's words totally out of context. He continues: 'How can anyone believe that nature exists by chance my friend? This Darwin, he says everything originated from chance!

'Now I begin to feel annoyed. Every person with a critical mind and the intellectual ability to do a little research can learn that Darwin's theory of natural selection is not based on chance. In fact, his theory is the opposite of chance.

But the owner keeps talking. 'Islam teaches us that Allah, God, created the universe. That's a much better idea than chance! Even Jacques Cousteau thinks so. He converted to Islam after discovering a curtain in the Atlantic Ocean that was also mentioned in the Koran!’

At this point I just feel the anger boiling up inside of me. A quick search on the internet confirms what I already knew to be true: Jacques Cousteau did not convert to Islam. This is only a widespread hoax in the Muslim world. Doesn't this man check his facts before he repeats nonsense like this?

Finally the owner finishes his speech with 'So, my

friend, would you like to convert?' The guest politely declines. He stays calm while I am now furious.

Why don't I start a conversation when I feel so strongly about the owner's statements? Why am I holding back my opinion? After all, he doesn't seem to have any reservation in speaking about his, does he? But I know perfectly well why I don't dare speak up. I'm simply afraid to step on religious toes.

Why is it that we humans can discuss every idea, ideal or theory, but shy away from a discussion of differences when it comes to the subject of religion? Is it out of respect? Respect for what? Isn't it perfectly fine to have a civilized discussion about religious beliefs while still being respectful towards other people's views? Whether someone believes in fairytales or facts, people are allowed their personal beliefs and it hardly says anything about their personality.

That's it. I get up and go for a walk. As I step outside, I look up. It's a perfect blue sky and I am faced with another question. I wonder why we so often turn our eyes upwards to heaven, if all that is mystical, beautiful and full of life and complexity is right below our feet.

Earth.

Maybe that's what we should have a little more respect for.

Photo: Earle - Aukje contemplating... Heaven on earth?

‘Living and Working on a German Airbase for the Arts’ - By Carolin Lindner (Germany)

Carolin with the Loveboat

Its been ten years since I had my first experience. Back then the event felt more like a small Goan party rather then the large celebration which takes place today. It helped form my passion for the arts and now gathers people from across Germany and Europe at a small airport, in the former East Germany, and later abandoned by the Russians. They come to feel the overlay of history with dance.

Today, several years later, I am Stage Manager for the Theatre Hangar at the Fusion Festival. One of the best parts of this position is not just the friends and performers that enter my life, but that I live on the airport itself and find accommodation within an old, stationary, Mercedes bus.

This bus, Loveboat, as it was called by the previous hippy tenant, now keeps me warm and cozy with a small wood oven and colorful companionship. It is a beautiful vehicle with lots of space and lots of history that contributes to the atmosphere here on the festival grounds.

I am originally from a surrounding small town called Mirow, currently a sad place to live due to the poverty and rising unemployment, but Fusion brings life back to this area. When I was a teenager this annual festival meant the world to me. It endlessly inspired me and eventually I felt the need to give back. I began by connecting with the people and the Kulturkosmos Müritz e.V Association, which is behind it. I first began assisting at a logistical level, then moved to graphic design, artist care and eventually ended up in the theatre side of things, which is where my heart truly lies.

My current, regular work day consists of 6 am wake up and then I am off on my bike to a nearby primary school. My friend and I provide theatre workshops to the schools, supporting youth culture which is also funded by the Kulturkosmos Association. In the afternoon, all of us living on the airbase enjoy a communal lunch airbase and the unique lifestyle we live.

All the work for the festival is undertaken by a network of people and many are volunteers. There are different crews and each of them take care of a former aeroplane hangar where war planes were once constructed and fixed. Now there are also cinemas, staged theatres and several party locations.

It is interesting to think how this airport was originally

Fusion Festivalbuilt by Hitler to test airplanes for the second World War. Afterwards the Russians took over the base and strictly forbid anyone from the surrounding small towns to enter. This space is no longer taken over by a country or by an agenda. Instead it has been captured by artists and young hipsters. This previously destructive space has now become the hosting facility for one of the biggest, non-commercial festivals in Germany! It explodes with colour, toys, artworks, installations, sculptures, bars, and open-air events. It feels like a huge playground. After the event is over, the only sound I can hear are the beat of new wings. The newly hatched swallows, born in these hangers, are all that is left and they jump, hop and leap in practice for their first flights.

‘Guerrilla Urban Repair in Toronto’ - By Martin de la Rue

Like any typical North American city, Toronto was built for cars, not for people. Its relatively small downtown core is surrounded by sprawling suburbs with their obligatory strip-malls, big-box stores and hectares upon hectares of parking lots. Every morning and every evening the arteries of the city are clogged with traffic as Torontonians drive to and from work, some commuting an hour each way. The public transit system is seen by many to be inefficient and insufficient for the city's growing population.

Since 2001, the city has been patting itself on the back, celebrating how progressive Toronto is because it officially adopted a recommendation called "The Bike Plan". A series of painted bike lanes was to be completed by 2012. But, at the current rate of implementation, the lanes should be completed some time around 2050. When they do paint lanes, they make commuter expressways on streets that ignore the routes cyclists actually use. Bike lanes start and stop out of nowhere, disconnected from each other with no protection at intersections. As the air quality gets worse, and society wakes up to the environmental crisis at hand, more and more citizens would like to choose the bicycle as their mode of transport, but they don't do so out of fear.

In 2007, a group of cyclists fed-up with the excuses and inaction of the city's transportation department decided to take the matter into their own hands. With spray-cans and a homemade stencil, they painted a bike lane on a controversial section of Bloor Street, one of the busiest and most dangerous routes in the city – a route the government refuses to consider for a bike lane. Thus, the Urban Repair Squad was born.

Their mission is to encourage cycling as an antidote to the poison that is car culture. To invert the status structure of the commons, returning priority to pedestrians and cyclists over cars. To create an infrastructure that promotes polite sharing of the roadway. To encourage citizens to reclaim ownership and stewardship of their urban space and to actively construct a positive future of what urban transportation could be by installing it NOW.

In the last two years, the group has installed numerous innovative features of urban transportation infrastructure. Some, like the whimsical Pink Penny Farthing Lane have garnered international attention. Others like the Hallam Avenue Sharrows Lane are assumed to be done by the city and remain in use almost a year later.

One of the biggest issues holding back bicycle infrastructure in Toronto is the perception that bike lanes mean a loss of on-street

parking. This pits local business owners against cycling advocates, bogging down the process as every kilometer of bike lane is hotly debated in committee, then voted down by suburban city councilors. The Urban Repair Squad came up with one possible solution: the "Rush Hour" bike lane. Most main arteries in Toronto have parking restrictions during rush hours, opening an extra lane of traffic to deal with the increased commuter volume. By making the extra lane "bikes only", it would encourage commuters to ride instead of drive, and there'd be no loss of parking during the rest of the day. In 2007, the group installed such lanes on three major streets in Toronto, much to the praise of the cycling community and the chagrin of city officials. This little bit of road paint has done much to embolden Toronto riders to feel more and more comfortable to claim the space on the road that is rightly theirs, no longer cowering off to the side.

The anonymous group has steadily grown in number, and has big plans for 2009. Other Urban Repair Squads have been popping up all over the planet from Sao Paulo, Brazil, to Lyon, France, to Istanbul, Turkey. Whether it's the influence of the Toronto group or merely the inevitable zeitgeist around the world struggling to survive and cast off decades of car culture, the Urban Repair Squad offers hope and empowerment through action. As they urge in their manual:

Your city is broken. Don't wait for the bureaucrats to fix it. DO IT YOURSELF. For more on the Urban Repair Squad and to see videos of their activities such as “Easter Present” shown in the photo below,

please visit www.urbanrepairs.blogspot.com

Urban Repair Squad Redesign

There once was a young person named Little Red Riding Hood who lived on the edge of a large forest full of endangered owls and rare plants that would probably provide a cure for cancer if only someone took the time to study them. Red Riding Hood lived with a nurture giver whom she sometimes referred to as "mother", although she didn't mean to imply by this term that she would have thought less of the person if a close biological link did not in fact exist. Nor did she intend to denigrate the equal value of nontraditional households, although she was sorry if this was the impression conveyed.

One day her mother asked her to take a basket of organically grown fruit and mineral water to her grandmother's house. "But mother, won't this be stealing work from the unionized people who have struggled for years to earn the right to carry all packages between various people in the woods?" Red Riding Hood's mother assured her that she had called the union boss and gotten a special compassionate mission exemption form. "But mother, aren't you oppressing me by ordering me to do this?” Red Riding Hood's mother pointed out that it was impossible for woman to oppress each other, since all woman were equally oppressed until all woman were free. "But mother, then shouldn't you have my brother carry the basket, since he's an oppressor, and should learn what it's like to be oppressed?”

Red Riding Hood's mother explained that her brother was attending a special rally for animal rights, and besides, this wasn't stereotypical woman's work, but an empowering deed that would help engender a feeling of community. "But won't I be oppressing Grandma, by implying that she's sick and hence unable to independently further her own selfhood?" Red Riding Hood's mother explained that her grandmother wasn't actually sick or incapacitated or mentally handicapped in any way, although that was not to imply that any of these conditions were inferior to what some people called "health".

Thus, Red Riding Hood felt that she could get behind the idea of delivering the basket to her grandmother, and so she set off. Many people believed that the forest was a foreboding and dangerous place, but Red Riding Hood knew that this was an irrational fear based on cultural paradigms instilled by a patriarchal society that regarded the natural world as an exploitable resource, and hence believed that natural predators were in fact intolerable competitors. Other people avoided the woods for fear of thieves and deviants, but Red Riding Hood felt that in a truly classless society all marginalized peoples would be

able to "come out" of the woods and be accepted as valid lifestyle role models.

On her way to Grandma's house, Red Riding Hood passed a woodchopper, and wandered off the path, in order to examine some flowers. She was startled to find herself standing before a Wolf, who asked her what was in her basket. Red Riding Hood's teacher had warned her never to talk to strangers, but she was confident in taking control of her own budding sexuality, and chose to dialogue with the Wolf. She replied, "I am taking my Grandmother some healthful snacks in a gesture of solidarity." The Wolf said, "You know, my dear, it isn't safe for a little girl to walk through these woods alone." Red Riding Hood said, "I find your sexist remark offensive in the extreme, but I will ignore it because of your traditional status as an outcast from society, the stress of which has caused you to develop an alternative and yet entirely valid worldview. Now, if you'll excuse me, I would prefer to be on my way.

"Red Riding Hood returned to the main path, and proceeded towards her Grandmother's house. But because his status outside society had freed him from slavish adherence to linear, Western-style thought, the Wolf knew of a quicker route to Grandma's house. He burst into the house and ate Grandma, a course of action affirmative of his nature as a predator. Then, unhampered by rigid, traditionalist gender role notions, he put on Grandma's nightclothes, crawled under the bedclothes, and awaited developments. Red Riding Hood entered the cottage and said, "Grandma, I have brought you some cruelty-free snacks to salute you in your role of wise and nurturing matriarch." The Wolf said softly "Come closer, child, so that I might see you." Red Riding Hood said, "Goodness Grandma, what big eyes you have!" "You forget that I am optically challenged." "And Grandma, what an enormous, I mean, what a fine nose you have." "Naturally, I could have had it fixed to help my acting career, but I didn't give in to such societal pressures, my child." "And Grandma, what very big, sharp teeth you have!" The Wolf could not take any more of these specialist slurs, and, in a reaction appropriate for his accustomed milieu, he leaped out of bed, grabbed Little Red Riding Hood, and opened his jaws so wide that she could see her poor Grandmother

‘Politically Correct Little Red Riding Hood’

cowering in his belly."Aren't you forgetting something?" Red Riding Hood

bravely shouted. "You must request my permission before proceeding to a new level of intimacy!" The Wolf was so startled by this statement that he loosened his grasp on her. At the same time, the woodchopper burst into the cottage, brandishing an ax. "Hands off!" cried the woodchopper. "And what do you think you're doing?" cried Little Red Riding Hood. "If I let you help me now, I would be expressing a lack of confidence in my own abilities, which would lead to poor self esteem and lower achievement scores on college entrance exams." "Last chance, sister! Get your hands off that endangered species! This is an FBI sting!" screamed the woodchopper, and when Little Red Riding Hood nonetheless made a sudden motion, he sliced off her head. "Thank goodness you got here in time," said the Wolf. "The brat and her grandmother lured me in here. I thought I was a goner." "No, I think I'm the real victim, here," said the woodchopper. "I've been dealing with my anger ever since I saw her picking those protected flowers earlier. And now I'm going to have such a trauma. Do you have any aspirin?" "Sure," said the Wolf. "Thanks." "I feel your pain," said the Wolf, and he patted the woodchopper on his firm, well padded back, gave a little belch, and said "Do you have anything to reduce stomach acid?”

Source –

Photo red riding hood

PoliticalHumour.about.com

Source

“There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew"- Marshall McLuhan

“There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew"- Marshall McLuhan

Contact Information:www.beet-route.comnewsbeet@beet-route.com

Next Issue ... AugustPhoto

: Earl

e:

Gorg

eous

landsc

apes

in T

urk

ey'

s hin

terl

and