Text – Page 126 – Citizen Reporter

Shine the Spotlight on Liberians

On the Liberian national symbol thingie, it says “Love of Liberty Brought Us Here.” A shining piece of evidence of what a lack of freedom the country its founders were fleeing – The USA – embodied in the late 1800’s. And then the history books and wikipedias tell us that the republic was doing great up until 1980 when there was a coup and everything went to shit and now unemployment is at 80%. 80%! That’s alot of people just hanging out, trying to survive without an income.

And so the man who put the W in warlord, president Richard Taylor, ran off a year or so ago and is hiding out hoping the world will forget about him much like they’d long forgotten Liberia. Now they’re having elections, and despite not being a citizen of Liberia, never having been there, and not having to live there afterwards, I like the two main candidates in this election:

In this corner, from the slums of Monrovia, international soccer (or football depending on what english you speak) star and all around national symbol of success – Former FIFA player of the year and huma nrights advocate, Mr…. Geooooorge Weah.

and in this corner, direct from Harvard where she got her masters degree in economics (i think). The pride of the World Bank and City Bank where she made a name for herself, former exile and political prisoner, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

As of this moment it’s a runoff and the results aren’t clear. The word is that the voting has been pretty good, transparent, and hey – considering the state of democracy these days – thats pretty good. I’m pullin for George. Though Id love to see the continent’s first female prez, I don’t dig her banking background… last thing we need in this world is citybank pushing credit card debt on more of us. 😉

A-Ren Talks in Dreams

It has been quite some time since I’ve talked about my super-human toddler-extraordinaire nephew the A-REN. Perhaps because it has been almost a year since I last sat next to his high-chair and he threw all his toys on the floor and gave me that “pick em up uncle slaveboy from Holland.” – A look that I always obey of course, cause you can’t deny the A-Ren.

But as you can imagine, throughout the year my dear brother and my mama keep me going with plenty of photos and the occasional video of A-Ren dancing around to Portuguese music. And perhaps that and my upcoming trip to New Jersey (1 month away) that have led to some very interesting dreams lately.

Now in real life, the A-Ren is still not using the languages of the uncivilized world many of us use. Instead he has created his own language which I believe to be too highly advanced for humans, especially boring adults. Though he does humor the family by saying a few key English and Portuguese words. Yet, lately I have this re-occuring dream where my toddler nephew walks into my apartment and immediately shouts my name and runs up to me and hugs my one leg and starts talking up a storm asking me why I haven’t been to visit him lately. Im pretty sure he speaks to me in English, but the part that always blows me away is when he knows all about me and what Im doing in Amsterdam and demands that we go out in the garden and play. — A vision of the future perhaps? An acid flashback perhaps? A lack of sleep? — likely.

Oh and since one day my nephew will be reading all the old posts his uncle wrote about him — hey buddy, here’s lookin’ at you.

Another Annoying Map – Humor Me

Even though every blogger, podcaster, and their mother have one of these maps. I’m asking those of you that can stomach it, go to my reader/listener map and put yourself on there. I want to look at the amazing array of people and where you all are. So get to it.. it takes less than 40 seconds to do. A photo is bonus material.

Tis the Season to Build a Barricade

Over the past weekend I watched with great interest, and as you’d expect knowing me, great pleasure, as the masses took to the streets in Buenos Aires and danced a Tango of protest against the US president. It pretty much set the tone for the entire weekend, as the mass media offerred speech after speech with the silver-spoon president fumbling and bumbling speech after speech about how latin america loves his destructive foreign policy. Then he tried to escape to Brazil, but even there, o povo Brasileiro gave him hell everytime he stepped into the light of day. I bet he has nightmares of protestors and asks Laura everynight why the world hates him. I hope he cries himself to sleep for all the people his policies have killed, its the minimum punishment, in my opinion.

But this isn’t about attacking the easy target. This is about the wonderful landmass known as South America and how, in the past 5 years, it has awoken and stood up – time after time – against the forces that have opressed, manipulated, and murdered its people. The myths of free trade, the terror of so-called democracies, and the empty promises of a bright future as the economic, political, and social laboratory of North America.

Diego Maradona and Hugo Chavez, two men who definitely act and look as if they have circus experience on their CV’s, may not be the ideal posterchildren for a movement, but their message rings true for the marginalized majority across the continent and worldwide.

I too should have brought a shovel to my blog today, to bury that horrendous and illegitimate pact – the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas.

Museum Knight Sir Bicyclemark

I was just looking back fondly on Museum Nights of years past — last night was my 4th in Amsterdam, and it remains one of the best nights of the year.

With an array of famous Amsterdammers, including Gabe of xolo.tv and the Mindcaster, we went from museum to museum taking photos, drinking cocktails, running past art, videoblogging and of course – recording podcasts. To quote my dear roomate talking about are museumnight behavior, “You guys really are nerds.”

Audio of the evening, including me tipsy and insulting segway drivers, and stopped for being a terrorist at the door of a synagogue – go to podmind.com. And video, if you actually want to see us, is available here.

Flames Fanned By Idiots in French Cabinet

Though they might not be reporting on it in your neck of the woods, over here in old Europe, things are happenning. More specifically, in poor communities outside of Paris, people are revolting. And I’m not talking about body oder. – I’m sure lots of comfy living Europeans gasp at the news and remark — theyre going crazy, it’s terrible! But as you know, I often see things upside down, and in a very dark way – I think this is a necessary and well – justified- revolt.

Generally speaking I’ve long been waiting for a return of the revolutionary spirit of France. The outpouring of capitalism and “stuff” has certainly helped to muffle what was once a wonderfully unpredictable social and political tradition. Throw up the barracades, maybe don’t break out the guillotines, but some pitchforks and torches could certainly be in order. And the only thing they should be doing, which they haven’t done as of yet, is head directly to Matignot or Eylsee and demand some resignations, justice, and maybe some real representation.

Amongst the long list of complex and hard-for-a-guy-like-me to truely understand, problems, I look to the government first-and-foremost. French policy makers at the highest level as completely out of touch with the reality of the working (or unemployed) class. You get guys like Chirac who is senile, Vellipin who’s a classic elitist, and my least-favorite: Sarkozy who is basically Vichy junior, passionately working on bringing facism back to the country. These guys have encouraged an atmosphere where revolt is inevatable and perhaps the only way to get noticed, it would seem. Either that or they’re completely asleep at the wheel of government.