I got drunk… again

Yesterday I decided to meet up with an English guy I know from Facebook. We met up and he brought a Belgian guy. To make a long story short, one beer became many.. and we ended up taking some shots with the barman and -woman after closing time (I remember Breeze (50% Amaretto, 50% Whiskey) and absynthe)… Then we did one more beer (I think) in another bar around the corner…

Tonight will be a quiet night though. I should sleep every now and then. Here’s a picture of last night (apparently I took only one).

Website update

I’ll be redoing some of the layout of the website tonight. Don’t be surprised if it looks funny. It’s temporary.

If someone could please fix me a new header, that would be great.

Bon appetit!

Anyone else have the feeling that society’s crumbling?

Dollar hits new low against euro (BBC)
The US dollar hit a new record low against the euro as investors sold the currency after the Federal Reserve’s hefty interest rate cut.

Soaring prices add to Afghan misery (BBC)
As the residents of Kabul prepare to break their fast at the end of the day, the street markets in the centre of the city are as busy as ever. But this year, during the holy month of Ramadan, there is a real struggle to make ends meet.

The price of basic food and fuel has soared in recent months, putting enormous strain on consumers.

Burmese monks in pagoda protest (BBC)
On Wednesday, hundreds of monks marched through Sittwe, Mandalay and Rangoon. They want a government apology for the violent break-up of a recent rally, triggered by protests over price rises. There have been persistent protests across Burma since shock fuel price rises last month, which have led to a sharp rise in the price of consumer goods.

Gazans stock up after Israel decides on sanctions (AFP)
Gazans stocked up on food and fuel on Thursday as Israel faced a barrage of criticism over its decision to brand Hamas-run Gaza a “hostile entity” and possibly cut its basic supplies.

“Don’t taze me, bro!”

Finally a journalist that’s asking some legit questions. Crossposted from Online Journal. 

See also:
Was it staged? – Inside Higher Ed
Taking sides in a tazing – The Lede (NY Times Blog)

The media and John Kerry’s disgusting display
By Bev Conover
Online Journal Editor & Publisher
Sep 20, 2007, 00:59 

Imagine you attend a town hall talk by a US senator. A question and answer session follows. You line up behind the other questioners. Before your turn comes, the session is suddenly declared over and the microphone is turned off.

That is what happened to University of Florida journalism student Andrew Meyer, 21, Monday — Constitution Day, yet — when he sought to put his questions to guest speaker Senator John Kerry.

Meyer verbally protested, which anyone would do. Kerry had the microphone turned back on. Meyer, holding up a copy of Greg Palast’s book, Armed Madhouse, recommended the book to Kerry. Kerry said he had read it. Then when Meyer asked Kerry why he had not contested the stolen 2004 election, his microphone was turned off again to shouts of only one question per person. That was Meyer’s first question. Meyer shouted back that Kerry had had two hours, so he surely was entitled to two minutes. Kerry agreed to answer his questions. With the microphone still turned off, Meyer asked Kerry why he had not sought George W. Bush’s impeachment. That’s when the campus police stormed him.

With Meyer protesting the cops’ actions — which now apparently constitutes “resisting arrest,” worse since he was still holding the book over his head, “resisting arrest with violence” — Meyer was wrestled to the floor and held down by six cops as he was Tased, then hauled off to the Alachua County jail where he spent the night.

What did John Kerry do while all this was happening within his plain sight? He stood there barely audibly saying, “That’s all right, let me answer his question” and later, in a statement, denied he knew what was going on: “I believe I could have handled the situation without interruption, but I do not know what warnings or other exchanges transpired between the young man and the police prior to his barging to the front of the line and their intervention.”

Whether Meyer barged “to the front of the line” is questionable. The first report of the incident did not have him “barging to the front of the line.” And, even if he did, since the question and answer session was cut off before Meyer and any others got to ask their questions, so what if he demanded for himself, and possibly others, his constitutional right to be heard?

We’re talking about the First Amendment right to free speech, not assaulting and Tasing a person because someone doesn’t like what he is saying. Back in the days when reporters weren’t all whores for their corporate masters and the powers that be, they were aggressive in questioning the politicians they were covering.

My favourite mindhack

I’m quite sure a lot of people will think I’m crazy after reading this, but I’m very sure that even more of you already think I’m crazy, so I’m going to go ahead and say it. I’m not going to go into the details of what the definition of a mindhack is (just click the word and learn), but I’ll tell you a trick of mine I use.

Understand that you’re lucky if you’re reading this. You have access to internet, which is an indicator of at least a basic level of wealth. You have no reason to feel sad, because people who do with less sometimes feel happier than you. This is part of my philosophy and I understand that happiness exists within and has no direct relation with any external reality.

Whenever I feel a bit down, I often wonder why this is. Why am I feeling bad? Is there a good reason? No. Whatever the reason is you’re feeling bad, you should not let that thing make you feel bad. Whether it was someone who was rude to you, nasty traffic or some bad luck… Don’t let it be worse than it is, by holding on to it and feeling bad.

So basically, I decided there is never a good reason to feel down. It never helps. So what I do is the following… The first step is that I basically think of BUNNIES! White bunnies! And it’s good to think of this word in a playful way while you visualize it… bunniiiieesssss! Then you can take these bunnieesssss and make them do something… Like dance to an AC/DC song. Make it ridiculous! The more ridiculous, the better!

Call me crazy, but it works. I usually laugh about how crazy it is to walk the streets and be thinking about white bunnies dancing to AC/DC. I fantasize about “what if other people knew I was thinking this, it’s so ridiculous”. Thinking about it now makes me laugh out loud. I have no idea where this thing came from, must have been under the influence of alcohol or something.

However, it still works. Maybe some of you have seen the movie “The Gods Must Be Crazy” or saw Discovery Channel documentaries on the Kalahari Bushmen. Some of them live in harsh conditions now and the picture presented in the movie is a bit idealistic, but there are some that live the lifestyle presented in the film. I read a book called “Bushman Shaman: Awakening the Spirit through Ecstatic Dance” by Bradford Keeney. He goes into the details of their spirituality, which is arguably the oldest form of spirituality on our planet, and he says that one big part of their spirituality is that they ridicule everything. Nothing is holy to them, which is good. Their spirituality is ever-changing, like the energies of life itself.

The concept of ridiculing everything attracted me and led me to develop this technique. It works for me, don’t know about others. If it doesn’t work, find something ridiculous that works for you.

Why don’t you riot

… and protect your liberties.

Below are two videos of a student being tasered at a question & answer session with John Kerry. It’s ridiculous how everyone just stands by and does nothing… Seeing this makes my blood boil, I must say. Even though the kid’s an Alex Jones wannabe, who’s not a good idol to want to be.

This is why I don’t want to set foot on American soil.

My first steps as a journalist…

UPDATE – The pictures are online now!

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Okay, the video is online.. The pictures will be soon when I find a decent WiFi spot.However, there are quite a few pictures online already on the website of BNR. Go check out my article. Also check out the interview at the bottom of the page.

This will all be broadcasted tonight at several times. Here is a list of the time blocks in which it will be broadcasted (times are listed for Dutch readers, so it’s GMT +1):
19.30 – 20.00
23.00 – 23.30
01.00 – 01.30
04.00 – 04.30

It’s not possible to stream live on the internet site of BNR. If anyone knows a website that lets listeners pick a frequency and stream live, please post a comment. I’m too tired to figure out the key words I’d need to search for something like this.

Wavelengths:
London – 5900, 9600 / 9700
Washington (for the night broadcasts) – 9700, 117000

Video – Balkan Youth Festival ’07

For the people on slower connections, click here for a lower quality (faster loading) version.

Balkan Youth Festival ’07

The article as I wrote it for the broadcast on the English channel of Radio Bulgaria on Tuesday. Let’s see how much they keep. I’ll inform you tomorrow about the times and where you can find a webstream.

The twelfth edition of the Balkan Youth Festival was one of European intercultural exchange by participants coming from European Union countries, as well as non-EU states. From Albanians to Swedes, Turks to Frenchmen, Bulgarians to Fins, Hungarians to Greeks, Macedonians to Spaniards, the festival aroused a feeling of “Europeanness” within every participant. During the day, participants as well as spectators could enjoy a variety of cultural expression ranging from folk music and dance from Kosovo, to breakdance performed by French, Bulgarian and Albanian b-boys, to graffiti painting by Turks and Macedonians, or join one of the horos initiated by one of many folkdance companies from various Balkan countries. Modern and traditional culture from all corners of the European continent came together in Sandanski, in Southwestern Bulgaria, to celebrate the seeming paradox of unity through diversity. The participants managed to inspire each other, and their enthusiasm could be seen throughout the many events of the festival. One expression of this enthusiasm was not witnessed by everyone. These were the parties at Hotel (Ask Geri for the name) where the participants were staying. On one floor one could find b-boys from different nations breakdancing together. Only a floor down you’d find a horo spontaneously erupting and lasting for several hours. Even though most participants were on a very exhausting sleep diet, the roundtable group got together every morning to discuss youth and the future of Europe in an informal setting. The twelfth edition of the Balkan Youth Festival was a great example of what Europeans can achieve through unity; a spectacle of cultural diversity inspiring people crossing the boundaries of age, nationality, ethnicity and language.

It will be combined with an edited version of an interview I had with a Macedonian graffiti writer.

EvilAngle – OldCore

Finally managed to upload a new mix! Mostly 90s house, the harder mid-90s stuff I suppose. Check it out for the nostalgic value!!

Tracklist
Sadomasy & DJ One – Body Motion
House of Venus – Dish & Tell
R.F.T.R. – Extrasyn
DJ Dick – Weekend
Egma – Let The Bass Kick
Space Trax – Atomik Playboy
GTO – Listen to the Rhythm Flow
Slam – Positive Education
Cubic 22 – Night in Motion
2 Fabiola – Milkyway
Channel X – Rave the Rhythm
Angel Ice – Je N’aime Que Toi
T99 – Anastasia
Chakra – Let Your Body Talk
80 Aum – Mindcontroller
M.N.O. – God of Abraham
Country & Western – Reincarnation
Celvin Rotane – I Believe
Age of Love – The Age of Love
Exposure – Party Claps
DHS – House of God
J’N’J – The Ballet
Speedy J – Something for Your Mind
Meng Syndicate – Sonar System
L.A. Style – James Brown is Dead
Waxattack – Yess
Hocus Pocus – Here’s Johnny
Dream Your Dream – Soushkin
Jones & Stephenson – The First Rebirth
CJ Bolland – Camargue
Mainx – 88 to Piano
Atlantic Ocean – Waterfall
Highlander – Open Your Eyes
Dune – Rainbow to the Stars
Nightwalker – Vice Versa
Megaman – Megaman
Charly Lownoise and Mental Theo – Your Smile
Technohead – I Wanna Be a Hippy
Dionysis – Break On Through
The Prophet – Breakdown
Buzz Fuzz – Frequencies [Original XS 4 All Mix]
Nasty Django – Hardcore Muthafucka
DJ Neophyte and Evil Activities – One of These Days
Network23 – Wiggler

(Sorry, I’ll add the times later.)

Download
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