Citizen Journalism is Tony Pierce in NOLA

When I heard that my friend and blogger inspiration, Mr Tony Pierce, was driving down the eastern US heading towards New Orleans, I immediately send an email. “We gotta do a podcast about what you see in NOLA” I told him. And of course he said ‘yes’. (we’re still working out the logistics)

But when I looked yesterday at photoeassy on LAist, and even better, his videoblog entry interviewing a high school girl in the NINE WARD, I had to watch it again. I sat back in my chair and once again felt inspired. Not that I had forgotten, but it reminded me of what I love about being a citizen reporter through personal media. The spontaneity of it all, the rawness, the honest curiousity. Free of that desire to look polished and clean and perfect… focusing on the message. And through his posts, I certainly heard a message about what is or IS NOT happening down in New Orleans.

For tonight I’d simply like to recommend you check it all out, all his writing from the big easy.. and especially that video. I know it may not connect with you, but from where I sit, this was excellent work and important when it comes to telling a story without expensive cameras and executive producers.

I Rocked the FreeMason Lodge

Yes I did!

The Free Masons have always been a wacky bunch in my mind. Funny people who probably have funny handshakes and hide themselves in the mysteriously funny buildings that have almost no windows. That and I figure they control the world and its money.

Last weekend I noticed the Amsterdam area Free Masons carried out a mini-media blitz to get the word out that they were having open information days where anyone could come into their lodges and ask mason-people questions. It was 3am and there I am watching the replay of the local news as I ponder what will become of my life once I am unemployed. I jumped out of my seat – FREE MASONS, I’M THERE!

So after being turned away, strangely enough, on the weekend. Last night I took a bunch of people from work with me and we visited with the main free mason lodge in Amsterdam. Yup.. it was us and the brothers. Even the grand cleaver was there.. maybe.. I mean I think.

First impressions: for a building that is so impressive on the outside, especially with the little ornate details around windows and doors, inside the building screamed of MEN. As in, brown, yellow, brown, colors, old brown furniture, and yes… lots of old men.

As we walked in the door, all the grand poobas and junior poobas seemed insanely friendly. Every single person doing that very Dutch thing where they shake hands and tell you their full name… as if I’m going to remember every mason-boy from the mason lodge.

Hmm.. I’m being mean. These guys deserve better than this. They were so dam nice it was kind of nice when it wasn’t creepy. A really kind ex-school teacher from the middle of nowhere (Drenthe) Netherlands came to sit next to me. Didn’t ask me much of anything. Let me ask all the questions I wanted.

Unfortunately the answers were all either lame or lame. Why aren’t women allowed? Why don’t lodges have windows? Are you political? Are you a sect? Whats with the dollar bill? Do you control governments? Are you racists? Do you parade around in robes and swords?
No matter what the question, the answer always seemed to lack something. Every other answer was “you give your own meaning to what you do here” or the most common answer “no we’re not, we don’t, we won’t”. Even the dollar bill explanation was vague and wikipedia could probably explain it better.
In the end we got to sit in their temple room, which was like a funky planetarium with astrological symbol thingies on the walls. I felt like Leonard NiMoy’s voice would start at any moment and explain the universe. but instead they fed us more crap about symbols and self improvement and knowing yourself. Bah.

One interesting factoid, apparently the Heineken family were or are masons. They built or acquired the bulding for the Masons. And get this. the red star in the Heineken insignia: masonic symbol! AAAAAH!

All in all, a hilarious and perhaps enlightening exprience. I tried to keep my distance from the recruiting types, ate lots of cookies and drank my share of apple juices. Free Masons know how to party. Sadly they didn’t allow me to take pictures or video, and even sadder, they didnt give the full tour so I didnt get to touch a certain book on the shelf and get whisked away to their secret room of torture.

You’ve won this round Free Masons! But I’ll be back. (no I wont)

Somalia and Ethiopia, Looming Disaster

If you don’t care about news regarding Somalia or Ethiopia, you suck.

I had to start with that, because a little bird friend of mine at a powerful network just told me that his Atlanta based network doesn’t care about news from Africa. Which is shameful and well, pisses me off.

Why should you care about what is happening or about to happen between Somalia and Ethiopia? It’s pretty pathetic that one has to sell the idea about being concerned for humans wherever they may live, who may face great suffering and death on a mass and unecessary scale.

But I’ll do it anyway. Because after watching the preludes and advances toward conflict between the two countries in the last 6 months, today’s announcement of a holy war against Ethiopia by the Somali Islamists, who control much of the country, sounds like confirmation that a terrible battle has begun and will rage for who knows how long. Hundreds of thousands of refugees… people.. who find themselves in the middle of these armies as they try to murder each other, will lose what little they have and possibly their lives.

A pending disaster that can be stopped.

Ethiopia, for its part, has a very large military (we’re talking several hundred thousand according to the worldfactbook) and have long said they won’t allow the Islamists to take over their neighboring country. They already have what they call, military advisors in the country, which is the cute way the US invented during the cold war to talk about troops that are illegally and covertly fighting in another country.

Anyway I’d rather keep this to one basic point. The signs are already here; an emerging and serious conflict has taken root and now is the time to get involved from an international community position, apply pressure and find creative solutions BEFORE this war escalates. If not.. it will escalate, and a year from now people will ask how this happened, and remark how terrible it all is.

bm159 Hungarian Political Lies

You may have seen images of angry citizens clashing with police on the streets of Budapest recently. But did you hear the real story of what happened and why the Hungarian electorate rose up? And what will happen from here, how will people, in the long run, feel towards a goverment that admitedly lied to them? A familiar theme in Eastern Europe and North America, Henrik of the blog Hungarian Accent helps explain was has happened and what can be learned from this.

Heres a Guardian article for further illustration

bmtv22 Agony of De Feet


As the season winds down, here’s one last ultimate frisbee vlog. Our team lost.. alot. But hey.. sometimes you eat the bar.. and well… Camera work by Lenny… Im number 34 on the field, obviously.

New and Noteworthy Vlog

It is Saturday and my schedule has surprisingly opened up. Which means lots of watching videoblogs and seeking new vlogs to watch. And instead of discussing some other crazy idea in my head or occurance in the world, I’d like to instead refer you all to something wonderful.

Many vlogging colleagues here in Europe and abroad, have surely thought about the great world of possibility that comes with personal media and self publishing through the internet and with the power of something as simple as a digital camera. We’ve considered how instrumental seeing and hearing first hand from someone in another country tell about how they see things and explain their culture in their own way. And beyond that, how important this can be to encourage open-ness, communication, and understanding, versus the very narrow and often sensational story we get from the corporate mass media.

Now unfortunately we don’t see, at present, as many vlogs building on this theme coming from the developing world or even the non-west world. Sure there are a few, but they are often drowned out by those that focus on fluff… in the form of tech, or entertainment news, etc.

Well today I finally watched a vlog that does exactly what I am interested in. This Iranian American Life gives a combination of personal snippets, general fun, and an exploration of culture.. all of which relate to a girl named Paris’s personal experience. The entry that really won me over can be seen on her personal vlog. But also deserving of you eyes and ears are the vlogs she posts on ThisIranianAmericanLife.

Go Paris GO!