One Saturday in March some 200,000 people took to the streets of Lisbon to express their frustration and desperation with the government’s performance, corruption and its economic/social policies. It was in fact a beautiful day filled with creative and humorous approaches to protesting from a city (and a country) that knows a bit about taking to the streets to demand a better future.
Category Archives: Video
Casa do Passal 2011
Artistides de Sousa Mendes saved the lives of over 30,000 people in Southern France in 1940. He did so in defiance of orders from the Portuguese Dictator who in turn disgraced him and blacklisted him, eventually leaving him in poverty. This included the loss of Casa do Passal his iconic family home in Cabanas de Viriato.
Only decades later was his name restored and the story of his heroic deed recognized throughout the world. However at this very moment his magnificent home continues to be neglected and teeters on the brink of collapse, waiting for a plan to be approved and carried out, to restore it as a symbol and tribute to those in this world who don’t just follow orders and who take action to help others regardless of the risk to themselves.
I had a chance to visit Casa do Passal during Carnaval in Cabanas over the past few days. The following video contains moments from that visit.
Video Highlights from 27C3
Someone joked with me as they watched me sort through video from the 27C3 in Berlin last week – “Blinking lights, computers, nerd humor…that looks like every year of the congress.” Good point, I thought to myself. But I still love gathering and assembling highlights for my own personal record and for others to get a glimpse of what this talented group of people do once a year when we gather.
27C3 Moments in Video from BicycleMark on Vimeo.
bmtv120 Retweet Risks
A vlog entry regarding how tweets from conflict zones often get repeated and then expanded or exaggerated and then at some point becomes the story.. even if it isn’t accurate. Not to say twitter should be filled with fun, creative lies, and general randomness.. I like that too. But this is specifically about situations where we are getting our information from twitter about places where we can not go or are not able to get to in a moment. Places where sometimes, even the people who are there nearby, can still get the story wrong.
bmtv119 Room for Everyone
The squatting community in Amsterdam is under siege, with the new law declaring squatting illegal, many who have lived in their homes for a decade or more are now considered criminals and subject to forceful eviction. ; But the community and its supporters have not given up hope and refuse to be made homeless by the authorities.
This brief video clip is from one of the many marches against the evictions, as squatters and supporters marched from Waterloo Square through the heart of Amsterdam.
More info at: squat.net or indymedia.nl
bmtv118 Volt Test
During my journeys in the United States over the past month, I found myself in the always educational and fun presence of Ryanne and Jay, pioneer video bloggers, world citizens, and curious minds. On one fine day in Washington DC we saw a test drive stand for the hybrid electric car by Chevrolet, the Volt. We decided to go check it out and of course, I was recording for the internets.
Note: None of us are shills for Chevy, but we are interested in alternative transport options and electric cars.