HappyDays – Week ThirtyOne
From protests to personal moments, this week was a whirlwind of activism and family fun in Amsterdam.
What a week. In the previous week, the National Guard and Marines were deployed in an American city to quell mostly peaceful protests, the US president has called for a state governor to be arrested & the speaker of the House has called for that gov to be tarred & feathered, a senator has been pinned and handcuffed, and two state legislators have been shot (one sadly killed) in their homes, Russia sent an inordinate amount of drones into Ukraine and then Israel bombed Iran and vice-versa.
On the other hand, I helped organize the protest here in Amsterdam for the “No Kings” event at the US Embassy and along with the 2000+ events in the USA and throughout the world, more than 6 million people protested (upper estimates of 10 million). Hopefully we can build upon that to get to the 3.5% principal.
Honestly it’s been hard to concentrate, but daily life also goes on even with all the horrible “background noise” that is growing louder and louder and coming more to the immediate foreground as time passes.
Work and family life keep me busy. I am blessed with a fantastic partner who helps keep the family together when I have to go away for work. I spent several days in Amsterdam preparing for a conference held on Friday the 13th. The Internet Archive Europe gave a panel talk on “AI for the Public Good”, highlighting AI Labs at Utrecht University and also ClimateGPT.
June 9 – Day 212
David had a day off from school and while I did have work to do, I wanted to do something fun with him, so we went to play mini golf and visit the arcade hall. Two hours just zipped by.
Then we went to spend time with friends in the afternoon and evening and it was so lovely just to hang out, reconnect, and enjoy dinner together.
June 10 – Day 213
The geese in the park are growing up and taking over the park. There are a lot of them and are pretty cute but make the school drop off and pick up a bit more complicated as we work to avoid annoying them.
Tuesday there was a train strike and our house guest had a plane to catch, so I drove her up to the airport to catch her plane. It was an honor to have a child of a friend as a guest and to be able to host her, make her comfortable, and show her around a little bit. I fondly remember staying with friends of my parents when I was a teenager and young adult and now as “a grown up” parent myself it feels like a long game of “pay it forward”. The last time we had seen Elena was when she came to Buenos Aires as an 11-year old just after David was born - so almost 10 years ago. Absolutely crazy how time has just flown by. She was just a bit older than David is now when her amazing parents took her on a months-long world traveling journey. Now she is a young woman traveling the world with a backpack and a head full of ideas and incredible skills.
June 11 – Day 214
The Japanese garden in MaximaPark has been closed and under construction for months as they install Japanese structures. Now the buildings are completed; there is one large pagoda and three bridges and now the garden feels much more Japanese. Took this photo on our 9km walk around and through MaximaPark on Wednesday morning with my group of international women.
June 12 – Day 215
I spent weeks helping to organize the “No Tyrants” (instead of “No Kings”) protest here in Amsterdam as we live here in a Constitutional Monarchy and didn’t want to piss off the locals. The Women’s March had a theme as well “Kick out the Clowns” which worked as well but we did want to consolidate the messaging a bit. We put the event out on six different websites and it eventually came together nicely. I was happy that we were finally able to officially associate ourselves with the Democrats Abroad Netherlands as that gave some weight to the organization instead of us just being a group of incensed Americans living abroad and some local Dutchies who care strongly because of their personal ties to the US.
June 13 – Day 216
I spent Friday at the Public Spaces conference in Amsterdam. I got to meet people I collaborate with in real life and not just behind the video chats we have and emails and slack messages we send to each other - personal connections are so important.
The Internet Archive Europe gave a panel talk on “AI for the Public Good” at the PublicSpaces conference, highlighting AI Labs at Utrecht University and also ClimateGPT and I had spent months preparing the team and it came together swimmingly. Feels good to have projects completed and completed well.
Artificial intelligence presents significant challenges and opportunities, but what steps can we take to ensure it benefits society and not just a few corporations?
This panel moves beyond ethics, showcasing practical AI applications, such as ClimateGPT, which helps us better understand climate change. Our speakers will highlight why diverse, human-created data, notably from Europe, is essential for responsible and meaningful AI. We will also spotlight the need for strong public-private partnerships to move AI innovations from labs into everyday use. Looking beyond Europe, the conversation will include global perspectives on fundamental rights and inclusive AI development.
Discover how responsible AI can support sustainability, enhance cultural institutions, and contribute positively to society worldwide.
June 14 – Day 217
Saturday was the big protest day and Amsterdam didn’t disappoint! Democrats Abroad even shared our stuff to the whole world. Felt really good to be part of a group that understands the significance of the problems and is willing to speak out. We didn’t do as much chanting this go round - a LOT of people wanted to speak and share their stories. We heard from Veterans turned journalists, Peace Corps workers, USAID workers, trans people, autistic people, and activists of all stripes.
Amsterdam didn't disappoint! #nokingsinamerica #notyrants #amsterdam
— Democrats Abroad (@demsabroad.bsky.social) 2025-06-17T12:50:48.746Z
June 15 – Day 218
Father’s Day was celebrated in Amsterdam. We walked from where we were staying to a yummy breakfast place I had found called “The Breakfast Club”. Delicious and perfect to celebrate Santi. On the way there, we passed this former hospital that had been turned into a museum and on the steps were painted this sentence.
“Ik reik naar je handen rustend op dit landschap dat wij delen als een vreemde tot ik niet meer vraag wie jij bent.” I reach for your hands resting on this landscape we share like a stranger until I no longer ask who you are.
Further along our walk to the zoo, we walked past the University of Amsterdam. I had no idea that there was an encampment of students at the University in solidarity with Palestine.
At the protest on Saturday one woman talked about seeing the bronze bricks in the streets of Amsterdam that commemorate victims who were taken and when they were snatched by the Nazis and when they subsequently died. She talked about the impact of seeing these people remembered and how she would stop and say their names out loud.
I remember seeing similar ones in Buenos Aires for people who were disappeared by the Junta Militar in the 1970s-80s.
At the end of a long day out in Amsterdam, we saw these bronze bricks and I had to take a photo to commemorate the atrocities and say “Never again” “Nunca Mas” “Jamais Plus” “Nooit Meer”. What is happening in Gaza and Ukraine and Iran and in the communities of the US against immigrants is atrocious and must be resisted, protested, and stopped.
As bombs are flying between and over Iran, Israel, Ukraine, and Russia, just going to leave these here: