Category Archives: Text

Resonating in my Ears

Working very very late on some upcoming podcasts, from Afghanistan, to Guinea, to Liberia.. there’s alot coming up.

But in the meantime, as I did my research for the day, which always includes almost 6 hours of podcasts daily, two in particular had me captivated and hitting rewind to hear words again.

The first was Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who most people in the Netherlands would be quite tired of hearing from, but in this case she appeared on WBUR Boston’s On Point, to discuss her new book and of course… the usual condemnation of islam. I must say, I don’t agree with her on many things, but I always tune in to interviews with her.. she has an interesting style and she handles debate quite well.
But in this particular program what is striking is her descriptions of both her and her brother being forcefully circumcized back in Somalia when she was a child. Each word of her sentences made me shutter. And even more captivating are the callers from around the US that call in to either condemn her.. or mostly to praise her in very strange ways.. including reminding her of how great it is to live in the US and having Jesus watching over her. AN INSTANT CLASSIC.

The other program that Ill never forget was Monday’s democracy now, featuring an interview with one of my hero’s and citizen journalist-colleague… Josh Wolf.. on the phone from prison. You should really hear what he has to say about what has happenned to him and the country. Among other things, it reminded me of how dangerous it is for individual… independent journalists making their own media without the backing of corporate or government forces, to do what I do within the United States. As far as Im concerned it could happen to me or any other of my wonderful friends out there doing our own reporting. Josh is an inspiration and a hero…. they should be learning about him in schools everywhere!

Portugal’s Yes

I was on the phone with mom earlier this evening and I asked if she’d heard about the results of the referendum. “NO I haven’t!” she said.

Portugal held a referendum yesterday on the question of abortion. While I was there in December I did see a scattered few billboards in Lisbon urging either a YES to legalize abortion or NO to keep abortion illegal. While I did get to ask a few people about it, i don’t remember much conversation on the topic, but I was definitely watching the results come in last night as Im sure many of my Portuguese friends were.

The result is that the Yes vote got 59% of the vote. A very loud statement that the voting citizenry of the nation were tired of seeing women being incarcerated for seeking abortions or fleeing to other countries in order to get one. Unfortunately less than 50 percent of elligible voters actually turned out, which I believe doesn’t make the referendum fully binding… but it looks like this will provide the necessary push for lawmakers to change the law.

I watched the annoying coverage on CNN last night; its Portugal so you can’t expect more than 2 minutes with 30 seconds of video… cut to commercial for Dubai or some other wealthy play ground apparently Im supposed to consider visiting based on their ads.

The graphic under the brief video read “most of Portugal is catholic.” I read the graphic and kept thinking… GREAT. They should have added a graphic, “Portugal may have citizens who think for themselves and don’t look to the vatican for instructions on how to run a country.” I realize many do look to the vatican, but I still think the graphic and the image that Portuguese are so completely tethered to religion is a somewhat out-dated assumption. Somebody get me the church attendance numbers.

All in all, an interesting milestone in the history of Portugal as the nation evolves and democracy matures. If you accept that this is how a democracy matures; declining voter turn out, struggle with religious traditions… sounds fairly typical.

Stay tuned for a podcast related to this topic in the coming week, as I just realized Women on Waves is in my neck of the woods.

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.

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.