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Homogeneous is Easy. . .

America is a pretty remarkable place, isn't it?  We're a nation full of different cultures, religions, ideas, celebrations and values.  In almost any state, you can find people who can trace their family's history back to Europe, Africa, Asia, South and Central America, Canada and Australia. 

You can worship in Mosques, Cathedrals or Synagogues.  You can eat Chinese food, bratwurst, spaghetti, or good ol' fashioned apple pie.  You can speak in English, Spanish, Japanese, or Korean while wearing blue jeans or burkas and playing croquet or cricket. 

That's why we're sometimes called "The Melting Pot" or "The Tossed Salad," and that's one of the things that makes life so interesting in the U. S. of A. 

But what about Denmark?  Do they have the same collection of cultures worth celebrating? 

Watch this video to learn more: 

Click To Play

Pretty amazing, huh?  It's hard to believe that until just recently---when immigration from Eastern Europe and the Middle East began to pick up---that Denmark was a nation of mostly Danes!  The lack of diversity is really pretty noticeable as you walk on the streets or spend time in public squares. 

That's called being homogeneous----and being homogeneous is, in many ways, pretty darn easy.  You see, when you're a nation of people who share the same beliefs, languages, cultures and traditions you don't have a whole heck of a lot to fight about, right?! 

But is being homogeneous a good thing?  Do countries lose a little something when there are only a small handful of different cultures? 

Whaddya' think?

Signed,

Bam Bam Bigelow

Into the (Bright) Danish Night!

I've got to tell you that when I first went to Denmark with the Center for International Understanding, I was a bit ticked.  You see, the agenda that they had set for us was full from the crack of dawn until the crack of dusk. 

We were scheduled to get up at 7 each day, get on busses at 8, get shuttled around to meetings (which were almost always held inside colleges), sit and listen attentively for hours and hours and hours, and then be free around 6 pm every night. 

"You're kidding!" I shouted when I saw our schedule the first time.  "I'm not going to Denmark to sit in college classrooms all day for 10 days.  I want more free time to explore.  I want to check out Danish restaurants, visit Danish shops, meet some Danish people.  How am I supposed to do that if we're stuck in meetings until 6 pm every night?!"

Little did I know that the "crack of dusk" during the summer months in Denmark is COMPLETELY different than the "crack of dusk" here in the good ol' U.S. of A!  Instead of stumbling around in the dark for hours after getting out of our sessions, I had at least 4 or 5 good hours of daylight to explore.

No joke---it didn't get dark (in the creepy Halloween evening kind of way) until about 11 pm---and then daylight came back again by 3 am!  Even crazier:  There were literally HUNDREDS of people hanging out long past my typical bed-time. The town square in Copenhagen---where I spent a bunch of my time each evening hanging out with friends---was constantly crowded with people enjoying the Great Outdoors!

Don't believe me?  Then check out this video:

Click To Play

So how would having an extra five hours of daylight change your life?  Would it make things better or worse? 

Better question (for all those science oriented folk out there):  Why, exactly, do countries further north on the globe have long days in the summer and long nights in the winter? 

That's something I've never been able to figure out!

Image retrieved from http://www.typepad.com/t/app/weblog/post?blog_id=1341986 on February 7, 2008.

What Color Was His Tooth?!

Have you ever heard of Bluetooth devices?  If you haven't, you will---Bluetooth devices are becoming increasingly common in today's digital universe.  Bluetooth devices allow people to work without wires! 

Bluetooth technology is what's behind those fancy earpieces that people wear so that they don't have to hold their cell phones.  It's also becoming more and more common with computers---If you have a Bluetooth enabled computer, you can communicate with other devices without cords.  Eventually, almost everything that is currently connected by cord will probably run wirelessly with Bluetooth devices.

Cool, huh?

And Bluetooth technology is a Danish invention!  You see, the Danes have done a great job getting involved in the technology industry, knowing that digital inventions and corporations tend to make more money in today's world than any other source of funds.  One of the fastest growing sectors of the Danish economy is small technology companies like Bluetooth.

But what makes Bluetooth even more interesting is that the company is named after a Danish king named Harald Bluetooth---and yes, he literally had a blue tooth!  Harald ruled Denmark from about 960 AD until about 990 AD.  (He was succeeded by a guy named Sweyn the Forkbeard!  How cool is that?) 

He's actually an important historical figure because he's the king that introduced Christianity to Denmark.  Before Bluetooth, the Danes were a polytheistic culture worshipping Viking Gods and Goddesses.  After Bluetooth, they were monotheistic like the majority of Europe.

Also interesting is that the Bluetooth logo is a Viking Rune--an ancient form of writing that can be found on Rune Stones throughout the Danish countryside.  These rune stones tend to tell about the history of the Viking period in Denmark----and archaeologists have spent hundreds of years studying Runes to learn more about Danish history.

Want to learn more about Bluetooth?  Then check out this video:

Click To Play

Can you think of any other inventions or companies that are named after Gods or Goddesses?  How about Kings or Queens?  Do you know what Nike means?

Leave us a comment to share your thinking and join us again soon on Get Lost!

Signed,

Bam Bam Bigelow

Image retrieved from http://www.macos.utah.edu/documentation/hardware/bluetooth/mainColumnParagraphs/00/image/bluetooth_logo2.png on September 16, 2007.

More on Danish Pottys!

They say you can learn a lot about a man by the sites he chooses to document on his video blog.  If that's right, I must be just plain crazy!  You see, for whatever reason I've found yet another video clip in my collection about a Danish Bathroom.

Only this Danish bathroom isn't the nicely kept indoor version.  Instead, this is the hard core outdoor porta-potty type covered with grafitti---You know the kind of place that I'm talking about:  The ones that you would only step into if you were about to burst.

They're all over the place in Denmark.  Want to know why? 

Then check out this video:

Click To Play

Can you think of any other ways that life in a city where people got around by bike would have to be different from life in a suburb or in the country-side? 

Leave us a comment to share your thinking and join us again soon on Get Lost!

Signed,

Bam Bam Bigelow

Image retrieved from http://files.turbosquid.com/Preview/Content_on_6_25_2001_00_16_24/Porta_Potty.jpgAC79941A-A6DB-4897-BC5AB086AEBEE81D.jpgLarge.jpg on September 15, 2007.

Den lille havfrue...

I'm pretty certain that y'all have heard the story of the Little Mermaid, right?  Made into a classic children's cartoon by Walt Disney's artists, it has become one of the beloved stories of an entire generation of today's children. 

What you may not have known is that The Little Mermaid has been a beloved story for hundreds of years!  You see, it was written in 1836 by one of Denmark's most famous residents--Hans Christen Andersen.  The title in Danish is Den lille havfrue.

Hans Christen---who was born in Odense, Denmark's Bike Friendliest City---is a veritable hero in all of Denmark.  Odense has four different statues of him at different stages of his life---and even has a silhouette of Andersen in the streetlights!  (That's what you see in the picture for this post.)

Andersen did much of his writing in Copenhagen, having lived there for several years.  That explains why one of the most famous landmarks in Copenhagen's Town Hall Square is a giant statue of Hans Christen that people like to have their picture made on!  You literally crawl up on the statue and sit on Andersen's lap as if he were Santa Claus! 

Don't believe me?  Then check out this video:

Click To Play

So what do you think makes The Little Mermaid so popular?  After all, it is a story that has lasted for hundreds of years.  Why do young readers like it so much?

Leave a comment to share your thinking and join us again soon on Get Lost!

Signed,

Bam Bam Bigelow

Image retrieved from my own collection---not bad, huh?

Denmark's Missing Corners!

When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time in the corner.  I'm not sure why---maybe it had something to do with the fact that I didn't like to follow directions, I never stayed in my seat for very long, I couldn't keep my mouth shut and I had a bad habit of mouthing back to the teacher whenever I was scolded.

Yup.  The corner was my friend---or my enemy depending on how you look at it.  After all, I did miss out on tons of fun activities with my friends because I was busy staring at the intersection of two walls.

Turns out I should have been born and raised in Copenhagen!

Why?

Because they have no corners on their buildings!  Imagine that, troublemakers of the world, buildings with NO CORNERS!  Sounds like heaven on earth, doesn't it?

But the lack of corners on buildings has nothing to do with keeping troublemakers happy.  Instead, buildings have no corners in an attempt to create space for people living in a really big city.  Check it out:

Click To Play

Do you think living in a big city would be a good thing or a bad thing?  Why?  What would you miss about your own hometown if you ended up moving to a big city like New York or Atlanta?  What would you gain that you don't have access to now?

Leave a comment to share your thinking!

Signed,

Bam Bam Bigelow

Image retrieved from http://www.uab.edu/images/tyb/corner-stretch-02.jpg on June 30, 2007

The Value of Public Art...

One of the best things about traveling to any big city is that you'll generally get the chance to see works of art on almost every street corner.  There will be statues of famous citizens and strange sculptures that you sometimes don't understand.  There will be beautiful maidens, interesting tales and heroic feats of glory carved into marble or made from metal by some of the most amazing artisans in the world.

European cities are super famous for their public art---mostly because tons of famous artists were born and raised in Europe!  What's more, European cities are almost always super old---most cities are older than the United States---and "back in the day," kings and queens spent piles of cash on art.  It was a way to show other people just how rich you really were.

Copenhagen is really no exception.  They've got some really interesting sculptures and statues in their city----including the statue of a famous Catholic Bishop named Absalon seen in the picture for this entry.

But they've also got some really pretty cows.

Don't believe me?  Then check out this video:

Click To Play

How important do you think public art is to a city?  Should taxpayers spend their money on making beautiful things for their residents to look at while out for a Sunday stroll?  What kinds of advantages does having great public art hold for a town?  Can you think of any neat pieces of art in your own hometown?

Leave us a comment to share your thinking!

Signed,

Bam Bam Bigelow

PS...That picture is one that I took!  Not bad, huh?

Happy Anniversary---Danish Style!

Perhaps the most interesting thing about traveling to a different country is learning about the customs and traditions of the people who live there.  I'm always jazzed to find out about the holidays that they celebrate because they tend to tell you an awful lot about what people find to be important!

Besides---holidays mean fun in most any language!

That's why I was fired up when I stumbled across a wedding anniversary celebration when I was staying in Odense!  Turns out that most brides and grooms don't sleep terribly well on the night of their first, twelve-and-a-half, twenty fifth and fiftieth wedding anniversary because they know that their families just might be planning a special surprise.

Interested in learning more?  Then check out this video:

Click To Play

So how do your parents celebrate their wedding anniversary?  Does your whole family get involved?  Is it something that everyone looks forward to---or something that your parents dread?  Do you have any other unique family traditions or customs for celebrating holidays? 

Leave us a comment and let us know what kinds of random holiday fun y'all get into at your house!

Signed,

Bam Bam Bigelow

Image retrieved from http://www.fijilive.com/ecards/icons/anniversary.jpg on June 30, 2007.

The Land of the Interesting Auto...

I'm not going to lie to you:  One of the greatest days of my entire life was the day that I got my driver's license!  Being able to hit the road in my family's 1977 Chevy Beauville van was instant freedom. 

I'd roll the windows down, turn on the kickin' AM radio with a single speaker installed under the dashboard, listen to a riveting talk radio show and drive EVERYWHERE!  It was so nice to be able to go somewhere without having to beg my mom and dad to take me that I didn't even mind driving my little sister to dance class!

That's why I was so worried about the bikes that I saw everywhere in Copenhagen.  "Do the Danes even own cars?" I instantly wondered.  "Could I live here without being able to drive?"  So I did some asking around and found out that lots of people own cars...but very few own cars like the ones that you'll see driving around your neighborhood or sitting in the carpool lane at your school. 

How are they different?  Check out this video to learn more:

Click To Play

Whaddya' think?  Do you admire Danish cars?  Would your family be able to live in Denmark using the kinds of cars that most Danes are driving?  Why or why not?

Better question:  Is Denmark's policy of charing a ton of taxes for car owners a good idea?  What would be the advantages of making big cars really expensive?  What would the disadvantages be?

Best question:  What are the biggest barriers preventing Americans from driving cars like the ones driven in Denmark?  Is there anything we can do to fix that problem? 

Leave a comment and share your thinking!  I'm kind of jazzed to hear what you think about the Danemobiles that I had a chance to see in Copenhagen.

Signed,

Bam Bam Bigelow

Image retrieved from http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/06/cool_cars/image/4fordshelbygt500mustang.jpg on June 30, 2007

The Beauty of the Danish Toilet...

I don't know about you, but one of the first things that I do each morning when I wake up is brush my teeth and----how do you say it politely----"powder my nose."  It's a routine that I try to keep even when I'm travelling, and my adventures in Denmark really weren't any different.

Except this time, I took my video camera with me! 

Yup.  Straight into the restroom.

And you'll never guess what I found there!

No need to worry about guessing, though....because I RECORDED THE ENTIRE THING!  And if you're brave enough, you'll watch it:

Click To Play

So what did you think of the beautiful Danish toilet?  Was it something that you were greatly impressed by?  Why or why not?  What can you tell about the things that Danish people value just by looking at their commodes?  Do you wish that you had a Danish toilet?

I know that I do!

Signed,

Bam Bam Bigelow...who kind of feels like a potty mouth right now.

Image retrieved from http://ledmuseum.candlepower.us/fifth/toliet2.jpg on June 30, 2007