Click on the Photo below to be directed to my vlog about the journey that is about to begin. (this one is not in my feed for all those who hate video in my regular rss feed.)
More when I arrive in Berlin at some point tomorrow. Yeehaw.
Future Movers and Shakers of America
The semester is over, yet the fishtank spilleth over at work these days. A neverending wave of American and international students are here to participate in the plethora of summer programs that are offerred. The groups I notice most of all are the American ones.. boston university, nyu, minnesota… you can’t miss them as their discussions are at a volume louder than everyone else’s, at least according to my ears.
As I tried to get through this final day of work before the Berlin, I took extra notice of their conversations. Each table in the cantina was filled with a different group, who apparently were working on projects related to a class on conflict resolution. The terms kept repeating from table to table.. over and over, “peacekeepers”, “training”, “democracy”, “free elections”, “war crimes”… it was like being in a room full of future Bush speech writers.
Of course they’re much better than that, but after awhile the topics began to annoy me. Each person trying to outdo the other with bigger words and mentioning as many acronyms as possible. They spoke about democracy like a group of doctors collectively dispensing medicine that will heal the world. On and on and on… democracy democracy democracy. The cynic in me wanted to ask if when they were finished, they could find the first world some salvation from the terrible so-called democracies we’re locked into.
But why nag them for wanting to save the world, that at least is a noble wish that even I can support. The truely disturbing part about listening to the great minds of some of the countries top universities, is their obsession with themselves. The deliberate practice of trying to shmooze other professors while one-upping their classmates. I guess it’s practice for the future, when they intend to get into important jobs that could potentially help the world… and then proceed to focus on making themselves real famous and important.
In other news, Trinidad & Tobago deserved to win.
Ch-Ch-Changes
I’m fiddling with new looks this morning. Shield your eyes.
***Update*** That went terribly wrong. Nevermind.
bm135 Allen Zerkin on Alternative Strategies for Ending AlQaeda’s War on the West
The title of this show alone makes alot of people angry. They have decided that war is the only way, and refuse to seek other solutions, even though the so-called war on terror has produced some very questionable results in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. Allen Zerkin braves the firestorm of pro-war threats and condemnation to explore other ways, specifically related to how and why the west can engage AlQaeda to bring an end to this unwinnable fight. (note, unlike my usual length, this one goes to around 55 minutes)
Much of his discussion refers to this now infamous LA Times Editorial
I Speak a Different Kind of Football
I may or may not have mentioned that I’m involved in the We All Speak Football initiative that brings together a boatload of bloggers/vloggers/podcasters to produce content about the tournament and spend a few days partying in Berlin at some hipster penthouse apartment. Myself I leave for Berlin this weekend.
But contrary to the neverending amount of writing about the games and the players and the stadiums, I will be doing no such thing. While I like watching the matches; I suffer watching Portugal, I root for the Australians, I love the Côte D’Ivoireans, there are many aspects surrounding the games that I do not like.
First and foremost is the nationalism. The rabid, “we” beat “you”, rally around the flag, life will improve if we win, type spirit that surrounds so many games is not only alarming to me, it is sad. Sad because the world is a shadow of what it could be if governments and citizens had as much interest and invested as much money in infrastructure, education, science, etc, as they do in sporting events and of course – the other nationalistic passtime: making war.
I digress. Over the next few weeks, especially in my podcast and vlogs, I will be focusing on the theme of the social circumstances outside the games. Themes that address immigration and immigrant populations and their focus on the game. Economics, especially in the context of Berlin and Germany, and who benefits and who is left out in the cold during and after the tournament. And of course, the media, as the business of news reduces their attention on the real injustices and issues the effect people everywhere, and focus instead on people wearing funny makeup at the stadium in Leipzig.
All this and hopefully more, coming this month, so stay tuned, and better yet — subscribe to the feed. The first podcast of this series will be ready tonight later this week… unless I burst into flames during this Northern European heatwave.
Too Busy, I Refer To Yeast
I thought after this weekend life might get care free and easygoing. It probably is, but I’m buried under last-minute editing work because I live below the poverty level and needed the income. For all those who want to move to europa and live the life, beware, good paying jobs, hard to come by for ze foreigners.
In the meantime, instead of talking any further, I’m going to drop everything and go lead our frisbee team against the other cityleague teams. Work stuff will have to wait. For you the reader, I recommend Madge and Yeast Radio, her video’s from Romania are interesting on so many levels, especially when the local man tries to pick her up.