bicyclemark

Zimbabwe Has No Oil

My good friend and longtime reader Jack wrote to me earlier in the day saying hello and asking if I’d address the forgotten issue of Zimbabwe. And he’s not the first to have done that, BadHAreDay in Lisbon has often asked me to talk more about the country-turned-tragedy.

Now I haven’t taken my eye off the sadness, mind you, Im still a devoted reader of “This Is Zimbabwe”. But it is true I haven’t produced anything on the subject in quite some time.

The numbers have grown worse in the last few years; one figure reads that 80% of the population now live in poverty. In what sounds like a story from 300 years ago, numerous people in the capitol have died of cholera! Life expectancy has dropped to 34. The list of horrors goes on and on… read more over TIZ’s retrospective of 2006.

And yet, Iraq gets billions upon billions of dollars for their so-called democracy thing. Somalia gets invaded by Ethiopia in the blink of an eye. Brazilian UN troops still occupy chunks of Haiti. And Palestine gets all its money frozen for electing a new government. Meanwhile in Zimbabwe.. nothing. Time keeps passing, people keep dying and suffering, and the world closes its eyes.

Which actually brings up a bigger question; above I seem to suggest that the international community should act. But I actually am not completely sure about that. Instead I wanted to point out the situations where the world gets involved either financially, politically, or militarily, while one of the most tragic crimes continues to go on in Zimbabwe. Somehow it doesn’t qualify. Maybe it lacks some alleged AlQaeda links or a profitable fossil fuel for exploration.

In fact, what I would rather have seen.. or see in the present.. is an internal change. Revolution from within for the country. I say that because I think it would be more sustainable and legitimate, rather than installed by an outside force. But still, if the population is starved, imprisoned and murdered… it may just require some type of intervention. And nevermind how I like or dislike intervention, with all the actions they’ve taken for different reasons, in different corners of the world. Surely Zimbabwe qualifies for immediate attention… and action.

Or maybe not… just go back to talking about dead models.

Theres a New Correspondent in Town

I wanted to bring over some spillover from a discussion over at Radio Open Source about the “Death of the Foreign Correspondent”. For anyone not familiar with the term, the Foreign Correspondent would be that person who appears either in print, audio or video reporting from some far away place telling us – the audience at home – what is happening there and why.

I haven’t listened to the show yet, by the initial post is about how more and more media outlets are closing down their foreign bureaus. This is, above all, to save on costs, but according to some.. it is also because there is a lack of interest for news from certain parts of the world. So they’re getting rid of the position or they’re merging with the foreign desk of another media company.

The post and the podcast ask the question, what are we losing as media consumers who want to know what is happening in the world around us… including in far away countries. Some of the comments bring up the point that we are losing alot, in terms of expertese and information, that the correspondents had long provided in ways few others could.

In certain cases I think this is a valid point, as historically there are great individuals who have played that role in media from far off places.

However I would say this is a great occasion for the rise of blogs, podcasts, and vlogs. This is the moment where we can and we will – fill in. Because, first — there will be a void, a void of information and understanding, and where else will people turn than the internet for information about places that their old media outlet isn’t giving them. second – because we are here and we want the world to understand what is happening where we are. By we I mean anyone anywhere. You sitting in Brazil are certainly a potential foreign correspondant to someone in the Netherlands. You there in New York City are a fine candidate for correspondent to someone in New Delhi.

Sure they will argue that you aren’t trained properly or that you aren’t reporting on the right issues.. but in the end.. that is up to the user to decide… the consumer.. the viewer/listener/reader. And furthermore, as someone who did extensive university level training in journalism, I- for one- saw that -in fact- this is no elite group of geniuses, plenty of people are capable of acquiring the necessary equipment, knowledge, and will..to start broadcasting their experience or the experience of something taking place right now, somewhere in the world.

These are the new foreign correspondents… and the best part.. is that they have the capacity to be better informed and more genuine than any sweet talking, khaki vest wearing, veteran news correspondent from super-giant-network news.

bmtv37 Congressional War Criminals

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John Edwards voted for the war in Iraq.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed because of the war in Iraq.

John Edwards helped make that possible.

And now he tells the public he is a good candidate to lead the country.

This is my response.

Real Coverage of the Peace Movement

Watching the movie Bobby got me thinking about the mass support the peace movement had during the vietnam era. Those images from the demonstrations, the marches, the leaders… I start to wonder how what is happening today across the United States might look similar.

Then my dear roomate mentioned how difficult she found it to locate any good reports about the mass demonstrations against the way that took place last week all across the US. She pointed to television and other big media who seemingly swept the story under the rug.

Myself I experienced the demonstration through what is quickly becoming the best way to see the world and events unfolding: video blogs.

Therefore on this beautiful weekend of trying to get my Amsterdam life in order, I give you a few links to excellent videos of the demonstrations in places like Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Washington DC.

Full credit and compliments to those excellent citizen reporters, especially as I’m too far away to properly participate in such beautiful actions.

Farewell Molly

While it is always comforting to get back to Amsterdam and what I like to call, normal life, I arrived to some bad news yesterday.

Bad news for journalism. Bad news for the United States. And therefore.. at some level.. bad news for the entire world of journalism.

First, the news that Josh Wolf, a videoblogging comrade and journalist, his requests for appeal have been rejected.. and it seems he will be in jail for even longer.

And then…. Molly Ivins,

One of the great writers and freedom fighters of our time passed away last night. When I was at university in new jersey, studying journalism, I remember discovering both her column and her books.. and being inspired.

Naturally many people have inspired me in this life, but to hear of Molly Ivins death was certainly sad news. I will miss reading her new words and thoughts, but thankfully she led an exciting and important life, and her words are always there for when I want to go back, read, remember, and be inspired.

Belgrade I hardly Knew Ste

As the hours flew by, we sat there at Rex (cyber-culture-center-thing), catching up on internet work and enjoying the most excellent environment that good people like D and N help create.

Eventually we realize it is getting late, and we’re due across town to meet the super interesting Vlidi, international Serbian of mystery, who I very much wanted to interview on the podcast.

Marcel and his big furry winter hat, Tim and his old man hat, me and my luggage-on-wheels dragging behind, said a quick goodbye to the good REXians and ran to the taxis. Speeding across town, I noticed some press near a government building, We passed that white Orthodox church thing that D says is such a dull monstrosity. Passed the open-air-maket, and eventually we stop at this huge apartment building that makes me think of socialist-housing-planning. It also reminds me of Newark, only I never walked into the projects in my ironbound childhood.

Suddenly I think it must be his wife, a fantastically pleasant young lady, who answers the door and we find ourselves in a cozy home full of life and things to look at. Of course, there’s no time for any of this, I have 30 minutes in which to interview the man about his experiences and knowledge of Kosovo. He knows this, and we get right down to it.. a wonderfully interesting interview from my perspective.. and of course we could have gone on and on. But Tim gives me the 5 minutes hand signal and I realize the clock is ticking to catch a train to Zagreb.

I say goodbye to all of them with a heavy heart… my travel companions and my new friends. From here on in, Im on my own. Running down the street eyeing the horizon for a cab… a banged up unknown brand of car pulls up and the cab driver gives me the “lets roll” signal. He zooms down the broad Belgrade avenues and suddenly I see what I was wondering if I’d ever get to see:

Stretching my neck out to manage to look all the way up… I see a massive building with every window blown out. It looks grey and completely abandoned, almost like a huge windstorm of grey dust is eating away at it. A huge gaping hole in one side that normally one might joke.. looked like a bomb had destroyed it. Of course, a bomb did destroy it. A NATO bomb.. maybe more specifically.. an American bomb. Either way.. even if it had been a East Timorese bomb, I would have felt the same degree of sadness at the sight. 16 people, I thought to myself.. I think 16 people died in that building.

The speedy cab driver drove on. Probably passes the building 6 times a day and doesn’t suffer from any flashbacks that somehow.. I get on my first visit. I jump out at the station, say the one Serbo-Croatian word I know how to say “Hvala” and just like that.. I’m on the train. As far as I know.. the right train.. to Croatia.

On the trainride home I sit alone in one of those cabins. Watching the sun go down over the Serbian horizon… its big.. its fairly empty.. and its beautiful. I turn off the mp3 player.. put away the book.. open the window and lean out… listening to the train sounds.. and whatever else I can hear. Occasionally smelling those wood burning stove smells.

So it goes, only a pair of days in Belgrade and Im back in Zagreb.. preparing to get back on the plane for home. My one big thought… I’m not ready to leave yet! Therefore.. I’ll be back quite soon.. so stay tuned.