bicyclemark

Drowning Torture

Waterboarding is one of those words that is pushed on the public in order to distract or mislead people from thinking about the actual crime it involves.

On the latest edition of On The Media, they did a fantastic job of exploring the manipulation of this word and what it means. At one point, a high-up military official comes on and says that actually the name waterboarding is incorrect, the real name should be Drowning Torture, because that is what it is. Later in the program some people argue about the semantics of what drowning is and can you drown if you don’t die, but nevermind that. The point that was made should render all following arguements moot… stop calling it Waterboarding.. if someone uses the term Waterboarding when talking about what United States soldiers are doing to prisoners, correct them – IT IS drowning torture… and it always has been.

After World War II, in 1947, the United States actually convicted a Japanese soldier of ~~“Waterboarding”~~.. Drowning Torture. He was sentenced to 15 years hard labor.

More than 50 years later… it is about time that the individuals responsible for ordering and carrying out Drowning Torture get sentenced to some hard labor of their own.

Not Satisfied

“Alot of people would be jealous of your life”, one of my best friends said to me via instant message yesterday. It was a response to my complaining, as another year of my life passes by, that I haven’t done the things I could have done by now.

People message me on Facebook, skype, myspace, gmail, twitter, and even in the offline world. They say things like “you’ve been travelling alot!”… or “You life seems like an adventure.” They’re probably right, but I confess that half the time I forget about the aventure and get worried about the choices I’ve made. The choice to live where I live. The choice to do the work that I do. The choice to be dedicated to blogging and podcasting. Yet somehow, these things feel like more than choices. Especially this blog and the podcasts that I do… I like to refer to them as my calling in life, just like priests always say about joining the priesthood… this medium, writing these words, and having you read them; this called out to me many years ago before I could fully understand why. And while I understand better today, why I do this, I still come to crossroads and moments where my critical nature causes me to question all these activities.

I happen to have alot of older friends that are close to me. When I fret about turning 28 and feeling like I’ve missed out on some of the wonderful things that I should have experienced by now, they laugh and say I’m young. Those that are younger than me say nothing. But in the end it is my own opinion that matters most, and by this age I had wanted to be further along with everything. Why haven’t I touched African soil with my hands? or seen Cuba and what life is like there with my own eyes? why haven’t I walked the streets of Tokyo with my good friends there? why haven’t I done the kind of reports that make a bigger impact throughout the internets. The kind of journalism that penetrates and resonates so far that it triggers real change.. change that I can see.

I’m sure there are people coming to my site for the first time being confused at such a post. If this site is about under-reported news, why is he writing about his own regrets and thoughts? But my readers and listeners know me a little better. And you know that the person in personal media does not need to be hidden; on the contrary, when I feel the need.. I write something more personal. Thats the difference between this and your old newspaper. The journalist that believes the individual has no place in their writing. Personal media, to me, is about being up front about who you are, as well as bringing forward information and arguements that have stifled in the world of popular culture.

I’m still forming thoughts and plans in my head… but as of right now.. I’ve pretty much decided that my 28th year on this earth will be one where I stop putting off life. Where I throw caution to the wind in the name of experience and education. Even if it means financial ruin or some other extreme inconvenience… things are about to change for this podcast journalist.

(PS – No it is not my birthday yet and YES I do realize many of you have and continue to support what I do)

bmtv62 Inside the European Parliament

This was done on the fly as many people gave me dirty looks during a recent work-related morning at the European Parliament. Blogging and podcasting have taken me many places and brought me many benefits, but it is funny to consider this is the second time this year and I’m sitting in one of the chambers of the parliament as part of a blog related project. Oh and since I was feeling the pressure to turn off the camera, my point never really got off the ground. Alas… here’s the vlog anyway.

Click To Play

Shame on Jan

Greetings once again from Brussels, city of long work hours and dreary office work.

Today’s item that has me pretty disappointed involves the Dutch government and the iron fisted oligarch that runs Russia. They’ve struck a deal so that the Dutch gas company now controls a higher percent in the Russian state controlled Gaz-Prom.

Some might say its just business as usual, but after all the outcries about how the junta oppresses people in Burma or how Mugabe is starving his own people, it still bothers me that so-called human rights respecting governments make deals and allow their companies to make deals with known war criminals and political assassins. Not that Mugabe or the Junta deserve a free pass.. its the consistency when it comes to respecting human rights, that I’m calling for.

Later this week I shall have a return guest to talk about another political figure in Russia, the very interesting Gary Kasparov. So keep an eye out for that show, as Kasparov seems much more complex than I had originally thought.

Inviting Friends in Pakistan

Upon arrival in Brussels today I was pleased to receive an email from the Pakistani blog community I had written to, requesting their participation in an upcoming podcast about what people are writing about during this “state of emergency.”

Throughout the long train ride today, it seemed like every podcast I listen to was covering the situation. I heard that same Musharraf speech about not letting the country commit suicide, over and over. Many of the public radio podcasts included callers in the US, most of Pakistani descent, calling to express their disapproval of the situation or in some cases, approval for the Pakistani presidents strong arm tactics.

As I walked into Blueberry Girl’s apartment here in Brussels, I heard that an old classmate of ours has been assigned to the German embassy in Islamabad. Seems like everything is turning up Pakistan for me this week. And rightfully so when so many lives hang in the balance.

I’m curious to hear the thoughts of the people on the blog community. Skimming the site, it is obviously still very new and just like in the US and communities like livejournal, people seem pretty self absorbed with work problems and personal reflection. Despite that fact, I’m looking forward to hearing from people running the site about their experience launching this community and how it relates to how Pakistani society, especially on the internet, is reacting to what is happening in their country.

bmtv61 Less Flying

A vlog entry from Berlin talking about travel and transport alternatives within Europe and the culture of NOT flying short distances. Also I mention EWG again, an excellent source to help us all navigate through life. Click To Play