Some of you may recall last year’s conference in Milan, this year vlog Europe is coming a little earlier and a little closer to Amsterdam.
Heidelberg, Germany is the location, September 1st and 2nd are the dates. If you are a vlogger or someone who watches vlogs or at all interested in the practice and art of making videos for the internet, you should definitely join us.
Visit the site, add yourself to the wiki, it is less than a month away and these meetings are an exception in the world of conferences and the internet. why? Because at vlog europe we have a tradition of cutting out the bullshit, being ourselves, and maybe even learning new things. Its not about youtube, it’s about vlogging!
On the flight back from Lisbon, I listened closely to another excellent On Point program. This one focused on media mogul Rupert Murdoch, his bid to buy the Wall Street Journal, and more importantly: his power to influence his media.
Years ago while writing my MA thesis, I remember collecting Murdoch quotes about his opinion on influencing his newspapers. My least favorite was something to the effect of: He wants to take a sledge hammer and destroy the wall between the marketing department and the news room. That in itself told the whole story of what kind of person this is and how much he values a free and independent press.
During the On Point program you hear from journalists who say they won’t tolerate him taking over the paper. Both because of the times where he has been hands on, and because of the type of media he also owns such as Fox News, The Daily Standard and other tabloid /info-tainment/ conservative newspapers. (myspace!) You also hear of examples where he doesn’t get involved or interfere in the work of media professionals at his own companies. The contrasting habits of a man that owns such a huge chunk of the global media.
Which ever style of owner he behaves as once he takes over the Journal, this is still another nail in the coffin of mainstream press. Because business is business and somewhere somehow it was decided that media was just another business and therefore can be bought and sold and picked apart or bullied by its owners and shareholders. On the one hand, another sad day for journalism, on the other hand, yet another reason why the work of independent and alternative journalists, especially on the internet, is VITAL.
My mother went to school at a time in Portugal where you weren’t supposed to question or challenge a very sexist, classist, and politically repressive nation. Yet throughout her education she took on one challenge after another, making it her tradition to fight against the rules and the limits placed upon her. This podcast is about that experience, in her own words, as we sat in our living room in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal, last week.
We discuss:
– Girls and School
– Access to schools
– Private and Public schools during the dictatorship
– Class and privledge
– Getting to school
– Gender inequality
– Challenging the norms
– University in Coimbra
– Secret activism against the fascist state
– Pamphlets
– Access to power
– Corruption
I’m still not fully recovered from several days of wedding, but thankfully I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with pioneer videoblogger Ryanne during her travels (with Jay of course) in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand.
Instead of listing the large amount of reasons I recommend her posts, I’ll just say that it is inspiring to see my colleagues in the world of podcasting travelling and speaking to new audiences about what we do and why… and how it can be useful or interesting for them. Furthermore its not about making money or selling a product of any kind… it is about making the big world a more connected place where people communicate and understand more about each other at home and abroad.
Anyway I digress, watch Ryanne’s vlog entries during this fantastic journey. I hope one day.. nee.. I promise that one day I too will go to Asia in the same spirit that they have.
While it may not qualify as citizen reporting, anyone who’s been reading this blog for some time knows about my friend Dishwasher Pete and his first book that is taking the world by storm. Pete will be a guest on an upcoming podcast where we’ll discuss the world of work, and the future of labor.
For now, though, this being my last saturday in Portugal this summer, I present to you a clip of Pete on the David Letterman Show recently. I think he’s the most refreshing guest they’ve had on that show in years, take a look and see for yourself. (beware, clip is long)
Click To Play
Much like I do on a daily basis in Amsterdam, this morning I hopped on my bike and rode into town here in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal. And much like I do in Amsterdam, I’m sure to load up my mp3 player with recent podcasts so that I can learn about the state of the world while weaving past crazy drivers… crazy being the operative word for Portuguese drivers.
The one recent podcast that I soaked up today was from the program Amsterdam Forum, focusing on the Zimbabwean crisis. While I’ve spoken about and spend a good amount of time learning about conditions and developments in that country, I still seek more and more explanations to understand not only how this happened but creative and potentially effective solutions. In this program Amsterdam Forum, yet another great production from Radio Netherlands, brings in alot of interesting voices who managed to teach me more and give me even more facts and history regarding why and how Zimbabwe got to where it is. There are even some interesting theories which I had never heard about why Mugabe has allowed the country to slip into such a terrible situation.
To hear the whole thing, and I do highly recommend it, go to the Amsterdam Forum website. You can either read or listen.. me I love to listen.