As the producer of one of the best information sources coming out of Iraq, BaghdadBrian is passionate about raising awareness about what life is really like for regular Iraqi’s living under occupation. While attending the Republica Conference last week, he and I had a chance to walk around Berlin and even do some tourism. Just as you’ll hear us comparing in this podcast, we often found ourselves comparing the divided post war Germany days to the situation in Iraq today.. specifically when it comes to dividing a city with walls.
In keeping with the issue of what is happening in the city of my birth and childhood, I noticed Ken over at the DailyNewarker has just posted an interesting podcast. It is an interview with someone who works for the Ironbound Community Corporation, the Ironbound being my community.
During the interview Ken builds on what we talked about in our podcast together, just before they closed St. James hospital, about the impact of closing medical facilities on a community.
For my part I will continue to track the closing of hospitals in not only Newark but anywhere in the US or the world. For now, click over to the Daily Newarker if you want to hear more details about what is happening around the issue of community hospitals and financial constraints.
On a slightly related note, I thought to also mention that for the first time in my lifetime, there will be no Portuguese parade in Newark this summer. Why? -No money.
It is that feeling that never really goes away. No matter how often you might look around at how things work in Europe and admire things, there is the ever present feeling that politics, business, and everything in between is heading in the same direction as the United States.
Yet another piece of evidence to that effect appeared in the Financial Times recently, in an article about the intricate role of business executives within the German government. In a story that sounds identical to what has been going on in the US for decades, one German executive from a hedge fund was said to be working in the ministry of justice in the area of hedge fund policy. Another classic example, reminiscant of the Reagan years, executives from BASF (the chemical company) are working in the ministry of environmental protection, also in the area of policies – of course.
But the infiltration of government by business experts from large corporations goes beyond the national level. As the article points out in its conclusion, within the European Commission there is also a strong presence of corporate experts working in the area of policy and regulation.
Just as I mentioned at the beginning of this post, for all the reasons we might admire Europe, there are plenty of reasons to worry about a continent whose governments are allowed to repeat the kind of dysfunctional corporatist capitulation that we saw in the United States over the last 30 years or more.
In some parts of the world people still use the term “steal” to describe getting music through bittorent or other systems. At the same time, many people use the term filesharing or downloading to describe that same process. Laws might get passed and moral judgements might be imposed, but how logical are such views when it comes to the sharing or copying of digital material.
My guest today is Peter of the Pirate Bay, one of the most popular sites on the internet, period. Moreover, someone who has a strong commitment to struggle and educate people when it comes to the nature of filesharing. Looking beyond scare tactics and the manipulation of governments by large corporate interests, Peter has alot to say when it comes to how we think or could think about the world reknowned practice of downloading things from the internet.
I also recommend the most recent Yeast Radio, which features Peter in a debate on intellectual property. And a previous edition of Chaos Radio International which provides alot of essential information about pirate bay, why and how it does what it does.
My presentation about the problems facing citizen journalists and citizen journalism today. PArt of my talk given at Re:publica’08 here in Berlin. Lots of podcasts being prepared as part of this event, and later I might have video. For now as I continue visiting with my favorite citizens of Berlin, I give you my brief presentation (minus the Wire clip about doing more with less.)
Arrived in Berlin on 2 hours sleep. Happily spending time with good friends, as well as making a few new ones here at the Re:publica conference. Talk and other things coming up. Regular content will return shortly. Here’s a photo of Baghdad Brian from Alive in Baghdad.