Cuba Notes after a visit

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Thursday July 23, 2015 · 7:52 AM PDT

2015/07/23 · 07:52

I visited Cuba as part of a Road Scholar group in May. I have just finished processing the photos and posting them to Facebook. I also made several videos.

I don't know how many of you want to follow my travelogue along, as many did when I was posting on Facebook, but I'm making a photostream of the best ones. I'm still tinkering and will add a few more to

20150520-29 Cuba - Potential Pulitzers

I don't remember how to embed photos in dKos, so unless I get a lot of positive feedback on the trip, you'll have to look on FB.

Similarly, videos. I put several on YouTube, but embedding here is different (or was last time I tried). In the meantime, you'll probabaly like: Interview with Abuelas in Havana

Baron Dave

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Saturday November 02, 2013 · 7:56 AM PDT

2013/11/02 · 07:56

I had Les Misérables on the Kindle, so read it a bit at a time. Glad I went that route, as reading a book that thick in bed would have given me carpal tunnel syndrome. I never quite got into it, as Victor Hugo went on these long tangents about battles, French kings, slang, and "recent" French history, using classical allusions and talking about people his 1860s audience probably knew well but didn't mean anything to me.

Amid the essays and political pronouncements, the book follows the lives of several people. With few exceptions, I didn't like them. Jean Valjean is an interesting character, but let's face it: He's an idiot. Sort of Like McTeague, he's not very smart but tries to do the right thing... and doesn't always. Javert doesn't ring true. Thénardier was too convenient as a deus ex machina. To talk more would involve spoilers, so you'll have to let me be general.

I loved The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Didn't like Les Miserables. Ah well. I've added the most recent movie to my Netflix queue.

Note: This was written for the dKos group Les Miserables, but nothing new has been added since May and this has been in the queue for a week. I hope the quotes make it of more general interest.

A few quotes below the fold.

Baron Dave

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Tuesday August 20, 2013 · 3:34 PM PDT

2013/08/20 · 15:34

Today was the launch of Al Jazeera America, replacing Current TV on cable channels, and I've only been watching for an hour or so, but I'm impressed.

I came in on the tail end of a discussion on global warming. A balanced discussion, that looked at the problem from several viewpoints. Intelligent commentary that didn't talk down to the viewer. One person's recommendation at the end of the report contained the advice (paraphrasing), "don't build new cities near the current sea level."

More under the fold...

Baron Dave for Les Miserables

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Friday February 22, 2013 · 3:00 AM PST

2013/02/22 · 03:00

I'm reading Les Misérables, more or less at the same pace as the augustin. In any event, I just finished the first book, on the Kindle.

The translation and transliteration seem iffy; the Kindle version is slightly different than the Google Text in the link. So if anyone has a better translation of any passage I quote, feel free to post.

I was struck by a few passages in Book I that seem relevant to today's political scene. Continued under the fold.

Baron Dave

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Saturday March 03, 2012 · 1:09 PM PST

2012/03/03 · 13:09

US Congress passes authoritarian anti-protest law

A bill passed Monday in the US House of Representatives and Thursday in the Senate would make it a felony—a serious criminal offense punishable by lengthy terms of incarceration—to participate in many forms of protest associated with the Occupy Wall Street protests of last year. Several commentators have dubbed it the “anti-Occupy” law, but its implications are far broader.
The bill—H.R. 347, or the “Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011”—was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate, while only Ron Paul and two other Republicans voted against the bill in the House of Representatives (the bill passed 388-3). Not a single Democratic politician voted against the bill.

As of this posting, only the World Socialist Web Site has the story or analysis. This major story seems to be flying under everyone's radar, including dKos. Read More

Why I subscribed: A gesture

Baron Dave

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Tuesday December 27, 2011 · 10:25 AM PST

2011/12/27 · 10:25

Why did I pop for a lifetime subscription to DailyKos?

Short answer: What the heck. It was a Channukkah present to myself. I read dKos all the time, and might as well avoid the ads.

Longer answer below the fold.

Baron Dave

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Wednesday October 12, 2011 · 9:14 AM PDT

2011/10/12 · 09:14

I went downtown on Monday, the federal Columbus Day, to visit and talk with people at Occupy Minnesota. I was on assignment from my radio station, Fresh Air Radio to do a news segment focusing on the Indigenous People's Day events. Covering this event was popular among the listener-supported, non-profit station's News Department, as you may imagine.

The General Assembly was called to meet at 1pm, so I aimed for that, not knowing quite what it was. Several events around Indigenous People's Day were scheduled.

I'm not Native American myself, but managed to make this year's High Holy Days about observing that culture. The previous week, I had been to White Earth Reservation for a memorial service of my girlfriend's sister. Here are photos of the Carrie Estey Memorial on 10/1/11, with lots of pictures of fall colors in Northern Minnesota.

The disadvantage of being a computer geek and a guerilla journalist is that I want my movies to be interesting to watch and contain informative text.

Updated 10/13 Added the other video interviews yesterday. Now added the unedited audio interviews used in the Indigenous People's Day report for Fresh Air Radio. This diary now has links to all my photos and interviews and video I took Monday at Occupy Minnesota.

Baron Dave

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Wednesday September 21, 2011 · 9:22 AM PDT

2011/09/21 · 09:22

(Note: These appeared, in slightly different form, on LiveJournal, beginning with Ten Years Later, Part I: The terrorists have won

Part I: The terrorists have won

"The most common of all follies is to believe passionately in the palpably not true. It is the chief occupation of mankind." -- H. L. Mencken

I was going to write a rant, and am glad it took a while to collect my thoughts, as many others have posted their own thoughts in parallel with mine and allowed me to link to recent essays. It also allowed this simmering rant to grow.

The terror attacks of Septempber 11, 2001CE were degisned to create terror, to clench the collective American sphincter, and reduce American power and influence in the world while promoting extremist religious causes.

The terrorists have won.

Baron Dave

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Friday July 22, 2011 · 4:45 PM PDT

2011/07/22 · 16:45

Well, I'm prepared for another epic cave by Democrats. It seems they simply don't know how to bargain, much less how to deal with fanatics. Frankly, I'm disgusted, not just with the extremists, but with the sane people who are treating extremists as if they were sane.

So with a certain dream-like quality, this is what I might hope President Obama had proposed as his solution to the Debt Ceiling Crisis. These positions should be as non-negotiable as any Tea Party rantings. I would like to see actual liberal positions staked out. (Feel free to add your own.)

Demand that Congress raise the debt ceiling and...

Baron Dave

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Wednesday June 22, 2011 · 12:22 PM PDT

2011/06/22 · 12:22

The local newspaper, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, barely covered Netroots Nation 2011. Indeed, the STrib covered the ultra-conservative response conference more than NN11.

Where were the press kits? Where were the reporters at the Convention Center? Where were the Netroots organizers?

I just called the STrib. As a subscriber for several decades (and subscriber to the eEdition), felt more than a little ashamed of it's non-coverage. After being shuttled through several departments I talked with a Deputy Metro editor who had no comment on the record. I hope I left enough messages that someone higher up will get back to me to speak on the record.

More rant under the fold.

Baron Dave

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Sunday June 19, 2011 · 11:38 AM PDT

2011/06/19 · 11:38

Well, Netroots Nation 2011 has come and gone. In theory, today (Sunday 6/19) is still part of the conference, but it's mostly teardown, checkout and services.

Hope you all had a good time in Minneapolis!

I had to break out the Saturday photos into a separate FB gallery: 20110618 Netroots Nation part 2

Day 3 Interviews:

Dan Feit, helping to run the live streaming video (mp3 4:17)

Marco, volunteer for Patchwork Video (mp3 3:23)

Ken Schneider of Patchworks Films. (mp3 4:34)

Paul Nevins, author of The Politics of Selfishness. (mp3 7:12)

Video interview of Markos Moulitsas under the fold.

Baron Dave

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Friday June 17, 2011 · 9:02 PM PDT

2011/06/17 · 21:02

I've been to hundreds of conventions of various sorts, and I must say, NN11 Day 2 (Friday 6/17/11) was one of the more extraordinary convention experiences ever. I went to a panel with a guy who actually understands how to talk to a camera. Completely at random, I was privileged to be privy to a conversation between an impassioned Second Amendment Rights Democrat and an equally impassioned Gun Control Democrat. I talked with a blogger from Germany telling stories from her Muslim point of view.

Icing on the cake, I was part of the impromptu crowd that bodily refused Andrew Breitbart entry into the Convention Hall, chasing him away as we chanted "COWARD COWARD COWARD".

Other nifty stuff happened too, but really. Hot damn. Hot diggity damn.

Added Day 2 Pictures. Here is my public Facebook gallery for Netroots Nation 2011. Will add to it over time.

New interviews (which are also linked from their images in the above gallery):

Right after "Presence and Authenticity: The Key to Being a Media Star" conducted by Joel Silberman (mp3 4:14)

Kyle and Kathy debate gun laws (mp3 26:43)

Kübra Gümüsay, Muslim blogger from Germany. (mp3 10:31)

From Day 1

Susan Strong of the Metaphor Project. (mp3 5:20)

Aaron Oesterle of the Space Frontier Society (mp3 7:00)

Jeanna Brown from Team Rural (mp3 12:02)

Steve of Drinking Liberally (mp3 5:43)

From Day 0:

Ms Spentyouth (mp3 5:58)

Nick Faber of Blogads (mp3 4:09)

Bill From Portland Maine (mp3 5:49)

See you all tomorrow!

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Cuba Notes after a visit

Finished Les Miserables at last

Al Jazeera America: I'm impressed

Les Misérables: Reflections on today's politics found in Book I

US Congress passes authoritarian anti-protest law -- why no coverage?

Why I subscribed: A gesture

UPDATED! Occupy Minnesota: Indigenous People's Day

Ten Years Later: A Slow Burn

A Non-Negotiable Wish List

Netroots Nation Echo Chamber: Epic Coverage Fail

Pictures, interviews, video and rant from NN11 Day 3

Pictures and Interviews from NN Day 2