italy – Citizen Reporter

David Brightbill: Floridians Behaving Badly and other Vaccine Stories

Mark Fonseca Rendeiro

in Amsterdam

Dave Brightbill

in Tallahassee

When the global pandemic broke out, David Brightbill was struggling to make it home to his cooperative community in Florida. In the months that followed he faced a personal health scare and became aware of the shortages of PPE among first responders in his region and across the country.

Now over a year into the pandemic, he is part of a network of maker spaces that rose to the occasion – providing that much needed equipment. He has also navigated, like so many senior citizens, the new world of vaccines and testing.

Today on the podcast we dive into supermarkets as healthcare centres, governors who do terrible things, masks and the noses that stick out over them.. and much more. Davey is a longtime friend and a unique human being that it brings me great joy to talk to. Tune in to hear it all.

Sleepy Low Budget Return

Just because a plane flies to and from it, and you have a metal detector.. does not mean it is an airport.

Or maybe it does.

Either way Treviso “airport”, also known as a hotdog stand, had me laughing all the way to the gate.. err.. back door number 1.

I’ll spare you the details and instead provide you with a photo.. which may no longer be worth the 1,000 words like they used to be, but at least it is worth a post.

Tomorrow.. audio.. and other fun.

Today I recommend you listen to this amazing Open Source Episode. I’m ashamed to say I had never heard of this Daniel Barenboim, but his manner of speaking and expressing himself represents much of the type of person I aim to be. Too bad I suck as a conductor.

bm168 Verona Italy and Voter Turnouts

Not the usual podjournalism as I’m on the road. This time coming to you from the riverside in Verona, Italy. The sun is setting and I talk about a little history of the city and I get into voter turnout numbers following yesterday’s Dutch elections.
Next Stop: Ljubjana, Slovenia. But first, a few hours in Venice with Madge Weinstein.

The Voter Turnout Surveys That I Sort of Refer To
dutch Elections

Greetings from Verona

Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life;
Whole misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents’ strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark’d love,
And the continuance of their parents’ rage,
Which, but their children’s end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

Adopted By a Milanese Family

My last night in Milano and one of those classic things that always happens to me happens to me. After wandering town all day long, and soaking in what my friend Alberto calls “typical Milanese environment”, ie: cloudy, rainy, busy, noisy; I made plans to meet my friend Sarolina’s parents in order to pick some stuff up to bring back to Amsterdam for her.

To my surprise and to Sara’s approval, her mom and dad not only wanted to say hello and drink tea.. the moment they greeted me in front of Café Zucca the mother says to me “marko… come to our house for dinner”. They seemed like charming people and knowing how great their daughter is, I happily agree.

So there I am, a Tuesday night in November, sitting in a VERY Italian parlour with wall-to-wall books, discussing the history of Portugal with her father.. in Italian somehow. As so often happens, the father was very surprised about how similar Italian is to Portuguese…. which means Italians need to spread the word… they have lots in common with the Iberian penninsula.

In the end, I had a fantastic meal, and great discussion about their travels and life, including the recounting of a journey through yugoslavia, soviet union, turkey, iran, iraq, jordan, and syria back in the 70’s.

“It was an amazing time, the father smiled, “we were so welcome there and you were free to travel everywhere. Not like today, now you can’t get far without being questioned and so much has been destroyed.”

Afterwards they insisted on driving me back to the vlog apartment. Which has gone from housing 6+ people to an oh-so-comfy 3. (I get my own huge bed tonight). Tomorrow we’re off to Verona, where star-crossed lovers used to kill themselves I think.

For those seeking importance in the world: I’ve been listening back and reading through the transcripts that were released, of the military tribunals for guantanamo prisoners.

bmtv27 Mispelling a Beautiful Place

Click To Play

This is the real deal. The amazingly beautiful Belaggio (which I didnt bother looking up proper spelling cause that isn’t the point, yes now I see I spelt the dam thing wrong.. sorry too late) This vlog starts in Varenna as we take the ferry to Bellagio. VlogEurope 06… beautiful.