bm134 East Timorese Problems and the Bloggers That Observe First-Hand

+++ Fixed+++
In late May, violence erupted in the streets of Dili. For many, memories of the nightmare of 1999 resurfaced. But beyond that, the question of what will become of this tiny and young nation also returned. In this podcast I attempt to look at the economic and social factors that are working against East Timor, and how violence fits into the puzzle.

In this show I focus on 3 Timor based blogs:

–El Diario de la resistencia – Alexis Oriol Caceres of the Cuban Medical Brigade
– Dili-gence, with the subheading Random Observations from an English Speaking Foreigner in Dili,Timor-Leste
– Dili-Dalying (Two Years in Timor Leste), an Australian Couple
who work in East Timor and were evacuated to Australia around may 25th

And here’s the item on Coffee in East Timor

 

A True Alternative Journalist

DogsEvery year I get invited by a friend at the U of Amsterdam who teaches a class on media, to do a guest lecture about alternative journalism internet and non-internet based. It is one of my favorite traditions, where I get to talk about all things from alternative weeklies to online newsites to blogs, vlogs, etc. Despite all the turmoil in the offline world, the internet continues to grow as a place for alternative voices and styles when it comes to journalism.

One of all time favorite weeklies in the united states, is the Seattle Weekly. I’ve never been to Seattle, and I’ve never actually had the pleasure of touching a real copy of the paper. But over the past 5 years, I’ve had the pleasure of reading it online, and it won me over long ago for its national news and yes- local news in the Seattle area. Which interests me in the general sense.

This evening I was skimming their feed, and right after I noted they had won several awards for their outstanding alternative reporting, I came accross an article that embodies the greatest part of being truely alternative:

Geov Parrish is a longtime journalist at the Seattle Weekly. On May 17th he wrote an article criticizing the US government’s Medicare Part D perscription drug plan. That in itself is certainly alternative. But here’s what makes it extra classic: he uses himself as the subject; his health and his expenses as someone who could and perhaps should enroll in the plan. He breaks down the numbers, his own personal situation, and presents evidence and arguements as to why the plan is a disaster, for him and most anyone.

Here’s a quote:

And if I can’t make sense of all this—I am a well-informed, health-care-savvy middle-aged guy—what about my 81-year-old mother? And if Mom, who’s still pretty healthy and sharp, is befuddled by all this (and she is), how’s someone who’s elderly and physically or mentally compromised supposed to cope?

As I read it, although the medicare plan itself is insanely confusing, I recognized the strength and the true alternativeness of this article. Big mainstream journalists with all there so-called professional integrity and distance from their topics would never admitedly write about a subject they’re openly critical of while sharing personal details to develop an article. Some people like that fact. Myself, I admire the Seattle Weekly and Geov Parrish; I’m glad to see the alternative spirit lives on, offline and on.

bmtv9 NBBK: Front-loader Motorcycle Madness

When I accepted an invitation to go cheer on a friend racing in the national bakbrommer championship, I had no idea what a unique and excellent event I would be attending. The neverending stream of competitors with their unique bakbrommer cycles was incredible. As was the location; a big squat community, a car/boat cemetary, and an old factory. I’ve never seen anything like it, hence this vlog.

Watch the Video

Fascist Afterlife in Italy

I was cruising down the Prinsengracht today, heading towards home, and wondering what had become of my dear friend Krizushka who last I heard, had moved to the Pijp neighborhood of Amsterdam. I had forgotten about the exciting and bizarre project she is involved in; tonight when I found her on skype, she had just returned from doing research in Italy, and immediately starting talking about it.

“.. I dined with 6 hardcore fascists who invited me to sleep in Mussolini’s house,” she reported. She didn’t sleep there, but she told me she went to his family home in Predappio, saw his bed, along with a mirror that when the light falls on it, you can still see his face. She also noted that these modern fascists still salute each other with the Il Duce/Hitler salute thing. I asked about political parties and she pointed out two: the movimento sociale italiano – the neo fascists, and the alternativa sociale – old school fascists; led by none other than Alessandra Mussolini, granddaughter and outspoken supporter of grandpa.

I did a little research into it, and it is pretty unbelievable: Alessandra Mussolini was elected to the European Parliament!! Not only that, as both she and her party are homophobic, I was extra horrified to find she sits on the parliamentary committee for Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs – THE HORROR. Oh, and as a sidenote, she posed in Playboy long ago, not that it matters.

K seemed pretty shocked about the whole experience, she probably won’t be thrilled I’m writing about it, but it is pretty ponderous. I think we forget that some history wasn’t so long ago, and is always connected to the present, sometimes in a most disturbing and dangerous way.

bm133 Love Letters and Forgotten Secrets; The Words of Ahmadinejad

Judging by the news stories over the past few days, the US has come to accept that Iran can and should be talked with. While over the past few weeks, the Iranian president himself has been doing alot of talking, interviewing, and travelling. So what about this alleged monster as many western political leaders and media have portrayed him. We know he says some pretty contreversial things, but what else is he saying? This podcast looks into his recent words and rehashes Iran Contra, still very important it todays situation.

Links:
The Famous Letter
The Spiegel Interview
Iran-Contra on Wikipedia
and I mentioned Karmabanque Radio

 

Catching Up On Newark Related Issues

As many of ye blog readers know, yours truely was born and raised til his teen years in the ironbound section of the city of Newark, New Jersey. I often feel like the least likely candidate to be someone who came from Newark, especially when so many people around the world equate the city with violence, poverty, and the Sopranos. And while I love watching the Sopranos and the title sequence does get me nostalgic, today as I listen to radio open source, I listened to the words of one of the US’s greatest authors of all time, which reminded me of the city that shaped my childhood and to a larger extent, the life-course of my family from the late 60’s to the present.

Newark CobblestonesI’ve never read a Phillip Roth book, I’m ashamed to say. A tragedy I intend to remedy immediately, after hearing the way he describes his childhood; growing up in what was then Newark’s Jewish-Galician section. He spoke of his father, who was an insurance salesman, going door-to-door throughout the city, and how he knew every street and how every person made a living. And how after the riots in the 60’s, his father was like someone in shock, who would never recover from such a blow.

It reminded me of all my grandparents and the different jobs they had. Of my parents and brother, and their work for the city’s school system. I don’t know every street in Newark, but I like to pretend I do. The few times I get to walk around there each year, even in the Portuguese-Brazilian section, I feel like a stranger who sticks out like a sore thumb. As a child I think I felt the same way, yet still I love the city of my birth. I daydream of what it would be like to return and become a crusading journalist there. Much like Phillip Roth, who said that after living in Europe for some time, he suddenly realized that his home city was like an

“atlantis… a lost city..prague… the west bank.. a place that had a great historical fall.. and is still falling”

Of course I’m not Phillip Roth. Far from it. But that doesn’t stop me from feeling a bond with the man, and missing a city that probably doesn’t want me anymore, much like it doesn’t seem to want anything.

Still, I keep my eye on what’s happening. I see the new mayor, who might be a breath of fresh air. But I can also still see the wounds of the fallen city, where a perpetual state of corruption, despair, and disfunction, seem like an impossible weight to lift.