Tag Archives: history

From Zagreb with Love

Dear Zagreb, capital of Croatia,

I write you this letter yet I’ve barely known you for more than 12 hours. Yet the moment I met you there’s been a certain connection.

I couldn’t believe how far apart your buildings were, nor how big the houses are. But then Tom explained that we were near the airport and everything was different out there.

Still I sat in the back of the car and kept looking left and right at you… wide avenues, giant housing projects who’s lack of paint creates a depressive beauty.

Then we crossed into your heart, and the good Tom kept explaining the history, the culture, the changes. I knew about your Roman Catholic roots, and some details of the old days under the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. But I didn’t realize you weren’t damaged during the terrible war in the 90’s. Even knowing this I look at your very European majestic buildings and I find myself scanning for bulletholes. Silly habit.

Your people are what really caused me to want to write this letter… in only half-a-day I’ve encountered the nicest of people. Whether in shops, or getting luggage at the airport, or attending this crazy festival… your ladies especially, have a wonderful charm about them. I’m probably too easily charmed, but even the ladies at the pizzaria seemed to be giving me extra smiles and laughing about the little misunderstandings.

And so Zagreb, I write you this letter on my first night… exhausted but captivated but all you have to offer. You may be European at heart, but for me you’re in a class of your own, an exciting class.

So whatever may happen, bad or good, this letter is just to say.. on day number 1, dear Zagreb… you rock.

-sincerely,

bicyclemark writing in a blogpost

ps- the funniest thing I saw on the flight over, Minnesota Stories doing the SOTU Drinking Game VLOG

bm179 A long term vision for Wroclaw

You may have heard the name Warsaw or even Krakow, but have you heard about the Polish city of Wroclaw? Well chances are, you will, because whether you talking culture or commerce, the city and its mayor are making waves in the European swimming pool.

My guest, on the phone from Wroclaw, Poland, is Agnieszka. She is one of the very busy people who, I’m convinced, are driving the city’s dynamic art scene to international recognition. (read about the upcoming 12th International Media Art Biennale WRO 07)

We discuss:
– What is unique and what is important to know, when it comes to this city.
– History of Wroclaw, the changes over the past century
– Mayor Rafa? Dutkiewicz, coming to power, and his plans for the city
– Working with the mayor
– His famous and unorthodox campaign to reach polish emigrants, in places like the UK
– Who is investing in the city and what jobs will there be
– The longterm possibilities
– The independent thinking republic of wroclaw
– and more, listen to the program.

Some audio from Bill Moyers as well, to start it off right.

Don’t Use Their Words

Just because the white house uses a word to describe something does not mean it is true.

Just because the white house says something is so, does not mean we should all run around repeating it as if it makes sense.

That said, repeat after me… “I… state your name… will not use the term SURGE, to describe the tactics of the Bush administration in Iraq which involve vastly increasing the amount of soldiers being sent into an illegal war, which has morally and financially bankrupted the country, even though it was already declared over and successful like 2 years ago. ”

Surge is their media-spin word. Like when they used to call rebels against the occupation – insurgents, and it seemed like every media outlet and citizen adopted the word as gospel. They invent these words to make everyone feel better about themselves and the immeasurable losses they have suffered because of an irresponsible and incompetant collection of so-called leaders. They invent these words to make you believe in them and talk like them and forget who it is you SHOULD be angry at and refusing to pay one more tax dollar for war, while demanding their resignation.

I went looking in the non-US press to see if everyone else has been duped into falling for the bullshit as well.

– Lets see, the German FAZ:

zusätzliche Truppen in den Irak zu entsenden

They seem to call it what it is… SENDING ADDITIONAL TROOPS…. they don’t adopt some catchy name for it, so it seems they’re not zombies.

– The French LeMonde:

acheminement de nouveaux renforts et recherche d’un consensus …

The putting into action of new reenforcements… again.. no S-word, no catch phrase.. they call it what it is.

and lastly, my favorite Argentenian Newspaper Clarin:

pedido presupuestario de la Casa Blanca para enviar hasta 20 mil tropas de combate adicionales a Irak,

..the sending of 20 thousand more combat troops to Irak. Pretty simple, no secret words there.

So it seems in my quick glance at some foreign non english press, there’s no translation for bullshit; in this case, that annoying word that the whitehouse is hoping you’ll use while forgetting what they’ve done to you and this world. Maybe step one in the path to liberation, let us all stop learning how to talk about the world from the white house, history tells us they are the LAST reliable source when it comes to truth and reality.

Welcome to 07, Lets Start with Saddam

Everyone will talk about the Saddam execution, and I can’t help but be one more today.

Nothing screams modern society like a hanging. And did you see the uncensored video of it? Talk about watching a barbaric civilization.. and when I say that Im referring to the so-called human civilization.

I know.. its the new year and Im enjoying life in Berlin.. why be so hard on humanity? Well.. I refuse to take-it-easy on humankind in ’07.

But here’s an aspect of the execution that I’ve been especially compelled by, sorting through todays news i came across a BBC article that interviews the US military nurse in charge of Saddam since capture. He says some pretty interesting things, including that Saddam frequently asked why the US had invaded Iraq if its laws were fair and the inspectors had declared there were no WMD. It also talks about some lesser important details about how he gardened and saved his bread scraps to feed birds. The last detail that really got me was about the occasion where the nurse had to leave to return to the US, and Saddam embraced him and said that now.. they were brothers.

All these details further add to the pile of questions and inconsistencies about the man. Above all, that he really does not understand what has happenned to him, his country, and perhaps even what he did – wrong or right.

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty, many leaders around the world have already expressed their opinions that the trial was not a fair one and that the execution was a mistake.

For my part I would add that something seems very odd about the timing, and how fast this execution was pushed. When you think about it, having Saddam dead prevents any intimate details from ever coming out about important moments in history – including the days when he was buddy buddy with the US.

Privacy, Voting Computers, and Insanity

They actually didn’t cover the insanity part, but that just comes automatic.

I’ve never seen so many laptops in my life.

As one strolls the outside-conference environment, you may encounter the many different collectives of the Chaos Communication Congress. In this corner, with laptop and internet cable strewn everywhere, it’s the mesh network kids. Over there, below the wikimedia banner, a bunch of people are allegedly working for wikipedia. (maybe they can un-ban me, those bastards) Down the hall, its the Deck phone guys who do cool shit with phones. I can’t even get into the lockpickers, lego-robotics, RFID mapping, and solar robot creating corners. It’s all just too much. I get tired very quickly as the senses are overloaded with this creative energy that bursts from every corner.

If you come to a hacker conference.. one thing not to forget.. which I just happen to have… ethernet cable. Its important. Take that bit of wisdom with you, free-o-charge.

As the evening wound down, after a whole day of god knows what, I found myself in this room, (photo taken yesterday, tonight it was bustling with people), sitting next to Rop who just slammed home a presentation on the Dutch voting computer battle (which I covered in my podcast way back when), drinking ze beers with Catarina.. who taught me all kinds of hacker history and general communication factoids this evening. She also awarded me with a rare PRess Pass… yehaw.

All this is my excuse for not doing a podcast or a vlog tonight. Too much to tell.. too much to do.. and the night is almost over… so I’ll get on it tomorrow, at some point.

I’ve said it alot lately, but this conference is one of those things in life.. not to be missed and not likely to be forgotten.

Family History, Word of Mouth

Spent the day with grandma and grandpa, which means I have tons to say, and even more to reflect on when it comes to life, work, love, and family.

On the surface my grandparents may seem to have the typical 80+ snydrome where you talk alot about aches and pains and how everything sucks. But once you finish lunch, put away the dishes, and gather around the fireplace with them, that is when the magic happens.

Sometimes, I admit, I set it off on purpose. I’ll ask a leading question, maybe because Ive got my camera ready to record the magical response… I’ll ask: So how old where you when you started working grandma? And she won’t give me a second look… no hesitation… she breaks right into “Oh.. me… 9 years old. I was nine years old and my father made me guide the cows because the cows never knew where they were going and it was during the olive harvest and …” She goes on and on for hours. And you know what? I don’t mind one bit.

Maybe I’ve even heard half the stories already.. but I don’t care. I want to hear them again. I want to burn them into my head. I sometimes catch myself daydreaming while grandpa talks.. picturing how I will tell my children about their great grandparents. I’ll tell them the stories about the wine harvest and the great-great grandfather who was the town poet… it will all be told as if I was there. Because I will adopt these stories as mine.. because when it comes down to it.. they are.