Fingerprint Frisbee Girl

Today was the Amsterdam City League finals. So you’ll have to tolerate more gratuitous frisbee-lingo as well as the occasional pining over a frisbee girl. But don’t worry, there’s a deeper message in this one for those who seek something more than the mundane goings on aux Pays-Bas.

If you’re curious, my team: Blue Steel, took the third place match by spanking the red guys. Allow me to pat myself on the back for two reasons: one – after only a couple of months playing, I scored a few, setup a few, and did some heart-breaking defensive plays. Dam I love this sport. and two – after the match there is always a game of some sort, and without going into detail, I am now the champion of the smack the butt game. Somewhere, my mom is beaming with pride.

But lets get to a more pressing issue. As Big Jim did the traditional heckling of the final match, frisbee girl was telling me about how she has never eaten a bagel, and has little desire to EVER visit the US, because she finds the practice of photographing and fingerprinting visitors – humiliating. Which to any rational human being – it is . But after awarding her the first ever bagel of her life, i starting thinking about what a loss the US is taking. Tourists, students, maybe even businesses, and worst of all – frisbee girl- choosing not to go there. Who don’t want to be treated like a criminal, so don’t bring their knowledge and contribution to the country. You can imagine the brain drain the US will face for years to come, much to the benefit of Canada- probably.

For homework tonight read the Radiohumper, carefully.

Need to Step Out

I’m feeling that cabin fever. While the ‘dam is a wonderful place, and I still walk down the canals everyday loving the sounds and smells – I haven’t left town in ages. Beyond that I’m in a mental rut, and I just thought I’d share that with you instead of trying to hide behind some political rant. I’ve got plenty of political rants, of course, but there’s definitely something deeper that isn’t sitting right for me.

Maybe it was the fact that yesterday was my brother, bigdaddyj’s, birthday. Being across the ocean from him, it definitely gets to me that time is passing and my life is elsewhere.

But maybe it’s more than that. – You know how priests say they have a calling? Like whatever higher being called them to do this bizarre task involving a white collar and serving red wine to the masses. I have one of these feelings as well. NOOOO, not to serve a god, but to do SOMETHING GREAT… but which I still can’t identify. You follow me? I feel like im equipped mentally and emotionally to do some very important things, but I can’t see what they are yet. Or if I can identify them – for example: to be a independent podcast journalist in the tradition of Seymour Hersh, Robert Fisk, and the legendaryJack Newfield. Even if I know that’s what I wish to do, the path hasn’t materialized – and it’s frustrating, to say the least.

For the time being I soak up the wisdom, from you the readers, from blogger-podcast friends like the mindcaster, who offerred me the reminder this sunny afternoon at Nieuwmarkt, to take a few risks, make a few demands, and not be so easy going in relation to things going on around me. I’m thinking thats true professionally as well as personally. Thanks bro.

AudioComm #46 – Fly me to Senegal

AudioCommunique #46(mp3)

23min+, 64kbps, 11Mb+

1 #46 – Fly me to Senegal
2 Update on the squat.
3 Airbus, I was watching a cool documentary about the A-380
3.1 Largely underreported landmark,
3.2 What it SHOULD mean, even though it doesnt.
3.3 Benchmarks, 747, Concord… very few since then. I look at planes and I think — what an old idea.
3.4 A criticism of capitalism, we only invest if its “profitable” so instead of advancing after, say, going to the moon, we instead focus on missiles and corperate tax breaks and stupid shit.
3.4.1 Money holds our society back, and thats pathetic.
4 Briefly on Iran and Iraq
5 Podcast developments; Adam Curry’s latest was great.
5.1 History repeating itself, pirates getting mainstream attention.
5.2 My addendum, lets not cooperate TOO willingly.
6 Will I finally do a show in French this week? J’ espere bien.

Wrong Place Wrong Time

There was a time when I was always in the middle of it. The demonstrations, the political discussions, the cool mob-related scandles… THOSE were the days. I even had my Israeli manufactured gas-mask shipped to me in Europe, to be prepared for all those protests and other rebellious events, I would be attending over here.

But four years on – nothing. During an EU summit in seville, I missed the activist bus, which was turned away at the border with spain anyway. For all the anti-war demos I attended in the Netherlands, it was so calm and organized, I don’t remember seeing any police. Add to that, the general feeling of skepticism that has set in, for anything related to the democratic process and the masses; its clear I haven’t attended a crazy event in ages.

And then I hear about meetings like What the Hack, which will take place in the south of the netherlands next month, while Im in portugal, and I think to myself… dammit. I want to camp for a weekend with international hackers, and make networks out of coconut shells and that sort of thing. But then, just to pour salt on my boring wounds, I read about the Hack-Train they’ve rented, which will be travelling through Germany to the NL passing through various conventions relating to technology and rebellious society…. a TRAIN! dam dam dam. I’m never in on the action anymore.

Frisbee Photo Essay

Before I show you the glossy goodness that was wednesday ultimate frisbee practice, I must say happy blog birthday to two of my favorite all time bloggers and real life friends: BlondeButBright (who turns one) and the Lilia of Mathemagenic (turning three). Best wishes to two of the finest minds on the internets.

Now to put aside the horrendous state of the world and shameful corruption among world leaders, I present to you, a lazy 4-part photo essay of todays practice:


These are the experienced players, once a week they school me. It hurts.

That there is Canada’s frisbee pride and joy, the man who brought me into the game.

They never seem to notice things like heat, cold, rain, hunger, nightfall.

In conclusion, my on-field crush is over and Ill never ask ol whats her name out. My new on-field crush is the grass which I dive into face first frequently. Its much simpler this way.

AudioComm #45 – Dad Remembers Dictatorship

AudioCommunique #45(mp3)

25min+, 64kbps, 12Mb+

Notes:

1 AudioCommunique #45 – Dad Remembers Dictatorship
1.1 Today’s Show features my father’s experience immigrating from Portugal to the US in the 60’s, and more specifically; what it was like to live under a dictatorship.
1.2 First I have to mention listener mail; Brandon in China, Lotte in Amsterdam, Frank of the Overnightscape, its so cool to get email from other shows.
1.3 I miss VivaPodcast… come back Greg and Lisa!
2 On the Skype with Dad
2.1 Portugal and the fascist regime in the 1950’s.
2.2 Clandestine Behavior by doctors, students, etc.
2.3 Poor but happy
2.4 The decision to move to the US
2.4.1 The draft for the colonial wars in Africa and India. (Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, and what was almost a war in Goa, India.
2.5 Newark. NJ over the decades
2.6 Familiar ingredients of fascism in the US.