Baden Powell forklarer først lidt om, hvordan han og Vinicius bar sig ad med at skrive sangen og viser bagefter, hvordan den skal spilles.
Author: Carsten Agger
Støt de israelske refuseniks
En radikal del af den interne opposition i Israel, som vi generelt hører alt for lidt om. Jeg har modtaget dette nyhedsbrev fra RefuserSolidarity.net:
As you no doubt realize, we are coming upon the end of 2008. It has a difficult year in the Middle East, with the Bush “peace process” going nowhere fast, the blockade of Gaza continuing with devastating impact on the many people who live in that largest of all prisons, and settlement construction continuing apace. We all hope that an Obama Administration might be more effective, but will it be any more inclined to achieve a truly just solution that ends the Occupation? Certainly, it will be much more likely to happen with vigorous, well-organized voices of opposition from within Israel.
We, the board members of the Refuser Solidarity Network, continue to believe that refusers offer one of the most effective means of convincing both Israels and Americans (in particular, American Jews) that a different path must be followed, that Palestinians must be given back their freedom, their land, their resources. We hope that you will consider a donation to the Refuser Solidarity Network to help us strenghten the refuser voice. RSN is the only charitable organization established in the United States that provides grants directly to refuser organizations. You can contribute by credit card or by check. All details are available at http://www.refusersolidarity.net. Just press the Donate Now button. If you would like to designate a specific refuser group to receive your funds, please make sure to indicate that in the Refuser Project field of the donation page.
Below you will find short updates on each of the refuser groups. They all offer much more detailed information on their own web pages.
Warm regards, the RSN board of directors.
FREE THE SHMINISTIM, ISRAEL’S YOUNGEST CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS
The Shministim are Israeli high school students who refuse induction into the Israel Defense Forces, for the most part out of opposition to the Occupation. A number of the Shministim have been imprisoned recently for refusing to serve. Jewish Voice for Peace is rallying support for the Shministim through a letter-writing campaign. Show your support by contacting the Israeli Minister of Defense using the form provided at http://december18th.org/ (14,000 LETTERS AND COUNTING SO FAR!).
Some background: although Israel mandates universal military service, many graduates avoid service through “gray” refusal: they obtain letters from doctors and psychiatrists excusing them from service, or they leave the country. The Shministim are a group of high school graduates who take a more direct (and braver) approach, refusing induction openly. On June 27 of this year, the latest incarnation of the Shministim (each year, the group must more or less form themselves again, based in the latest set of students about to graduate) invited young men and women considering refusal to a meeting in Tel Aviv, explaining: “Our political and social power depends on our ability to organize. As a group we will be able to make a difference.” The group also sponsored a discussion of the abuse of Palestinian detainees by Israeli soldiers, an event that coincided with the annual UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.
NEW PROFILE
RSN has been a major supporter of New Profile for many years. Recently, New Profile has been in the news as the target of a criminal investigation for allegedly encouraging draft dodging-a crime in Israel. Here is an account of the probe from the Israeli press (Amos Harel, HaAretz, September, 2008): http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1020999.html
And a response from New Profile’s Rela Mazali is available here: http://kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=29072
Jewish Voice for Peace recently interviewed Ruth Hiller, one of New Profile’s co-founders. Read that interview here: http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/publish/article_1116.shtml
New Profile is a group of feminist women and men who oppose the militarization of Israeli society. NP works for a truly democratic
civic education, teaching the practice of peace and conflict resolution, rather than training children to enlist and accept warfare. More information is available at New Profile’s websote http://www.newprofile.org/default.asp?language=en
COMBATANTS FOR PEACE
Ory Yassur of CFP sent us this update: Combatants for Peace is an organization that unites Palestinian and Israelis who participated in violent actions on both sides of the conflict, but have now left that circle of violence and are committed to a non-violent solution. In the past year, the activity of Combatants for Peace hasexpanded. Since the founding of our organization, we focused on meeting with the “other side” and listen to each other’s stories, as well as on lectures in various locations both in Palestine and Israel (schools, campuses, private houses etc.). In 2008, we carried on with those activities, and we also launched three local groups of about 10-15 people from each side that meet every 2 or 3 weeks. Besides having the chance of getting to know each other more, those groups generate many non-violent activities against the occupation. For example, Combatants for Peace organized demonstrations against road blocks placed by the Israeli army in the village of Shufa
(around Tul Karem) and next to road 60 (southern to Hebron). We also organized help for Palestinian farmers threw the time of olive harvest. The farmers are often harassed by settlers and the army during this time of the year. One more event that drew a lot of attention from the Israeli media was our second Memorial Day joint ceremony on last May. Around 800 people, most of them Israelis (due to the occupation authorities transfer permissions policy), gathered in Tel Aviv and commemorate the loss of lives in both side of the bloody conflict. The event brought many new coming members of Combatants for Peace. Detailed info about our activity in 2008 can be found here: http://www.combatantsforpeace.org/event.asp?lng=eng
Here are some other specifics about CFP activities:
A-Ram (17.11.2008 )
First meeting of “Ramallah-Jerusalem” Combatants for Peace group. Around 30 people, Palestinians and Israelis,
attended the first meeting of the Ramalla-Jerusalem group of Combatants for Peace was held in A-Ram, in north-east Jerusalem. Around 30 others, who expressed their will to become members of the new group, will have to await the opening of yet another group in the area, hopefully in the near future. The Ramalla-Jerusalem group is intended as a new base for the movement’s activity in this crucial area and we hope it would succeed in initiating actions of various kinds.
Wallaga (12-13.12.2008 )
An activity for supplying running water: A group of Jerusalem based activists has formed around Abed,the land owner, and decided to preserve this oasis by making it an active ecological center, a place were people from both sides of the valley can meet, learn and work together. The first priority is to create a supply of drinking water, as Abed now has to carry water from a spring-filling jerricans and transporting them by donkey or by car. We will build a rainwater collecting
system that will resolve the problem, at least partially. Combatants for Peace will join hands and help promoting this project.
YESH G’VUL
Yesh G’vul (“There is a limit!”) is an Israeli peace group campaigning against the Occupation by backing soldiers who refuse duties in the Occupied Territories. Yesh G’vul arose in response to the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. It offers counseling to soldiers who wrestle with the painful choice between serving policies they find abhorrent and defying military discipline. The organization provides moral and material backing for those who elect to refuse, ranging from financial support for families of jailed refuseniks to vigils at the military prisons where they are held. The oldest of the refuser groups, Yesh G’vul continues to struggle against illegal military actions in the Occupied Territories.
About the Refuser Solidarity Network
We were formed in April of 2002 to provide support for the growing Refuser Movement in Israel. The initial impetus for the establishment of the RSN was the publication in January 2002 of the Combatants Letter by a group of 52 reserve officers, which later became Ometz Le’sarev or Courage to Refuse. RSN now supports Combatants for Peace, Yesh G’vul, the Shiministim, New Profile and other Israeli organizations advocating peaceful conflict resolution in Israel/Palestine and working to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories seized in 1967. A 501(c)3 charitable organization, RSN makes grants to refuser groups to support their work financially. RSN is funded entirely by contributions from individuals in the U.S. and around the world.
Hebron: Jødiske bosættere i pogrom mod indfødte palæstinensere
Ja, det er ikke mig, der kalder bosætternes vold mod de lokale palæstinensere for en “pogrom” – det er Israels premierminister Ehud Olmert.
Fra Sabbahs blog:
You may have heard brief blurbs about settler violence against Palestinians in Hebron. You may have even heard Ehud Olmert, the prime minister of Israel, call this violence “a pogrom in the worst sense of the word“, but to truly understand what’s going on in Hebron you have to see it yourself.
Go to: http://www.heb2.tv and you can see a new experimental TV station broadcasting from Hebron which uses mostly Palestinian home videos.
They do interviews with Israelis and Palestinians, and they let you see the footage that Palestinians have begun to take of settlers harassing and attacking them. The Palestinians have learned that although the settlers have no fear of reprisal from police or soldiers, they are afraid of the video cameras, because they don’t want people to see what they’re doing to Palestinians on a daily basis. So check out this TV station and watch the first few episodes, but be warned, it’s disturbing.
Arven efter Bush
En gammel nyhed, men altså:
On the heels (gettit?) of the now-notorious incident in which an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at some guy named George Bush, the world press has rushed to tell us that throwing shoes is a really bad thing in the Arab world. Not like here in the west, where it’s a gesture of affection.
“In Arab cultures, throwing shoes is a grave show of disrespect.” —Bloomberg.com
“The act is an Arab symbol of contempt.” —Christian Science Monitor
“Throwing shoes at somebody is a supreme insult in the Middle East.” —Reuters
“In Iraqi culture, throwing shoes at someone is a sign of contempt.” —Associated Press
Citeret fra Boing Boing.
Støt Daniel Karim Rostam
Daniel Karim Rostam er en ung mand, der er født i Kuwait og opvokset i Danmark, men som efter en dom på tre et halvt års fængsel blev udvist til Irak, et land, hvor han aldrig har været og ikke har nogen familie – et land, hvortil han ikke har nogen tilknytning overhovedet.
De første uger af hans ophold i Irak tilbragte Daniel i fængsel, hvor han fik at vide, at han kunne rådne op til evig tid. Nu er der imidlertid sket noget, og dette har i dag fået hans støttegruppe til at udsende denne appel:
En tre uger lang kampagne førte den 16. november til at den tvangsudsendte Daniel Karim Rostam blev løsladt fra Baghdads Lufthavnsfængsel, hvor han havde været indespærret siden han blev udvist den 2. juni i år.
I første omgang var det en sejr for de mere end 1000 mennesker, derigennem tre uger ringede til den irakiske ambassade i Danmark for at spørge til Daniels situation og kræve ham løsladt; på grund af det kontinuerlige pres blev han sluppet fri af det fængsel, hvor han havde
fået at vide, at han kunne sidde og rådne op. Mange af jer har sikkert selv været aktive i denne kampagne og vi takker jer herfor.
Men, Daniel er stadig ikke fri. Uden for fængslets mure har han ingen og intet. Ingen penge, ingen mad, ingen folk der kan hjælpe ham. Han har aldrig før været i Irak, da han oprindeligt kommer fra Kuwait og derfor aldrig skulle have været udvist fra Danmark.
Vi beder jer nu om hjælp endnu en gang. Daniel har brug for penge, så han kan komme til Kuwait, hvor han har en tante og hvor han ikke hver nat skal frygte for at blive anholdt, fordi han overtræder udgangsforbuddet. Vi ansøger derfor om ethvert bidrag, I måtte kunne undvære, så vi hurtigst muligt kan sende ham en sum penge.
Det er vigtigt, at vi ikke overlader Daniel til sig selv, men fortsætter kampagnen til han er i sikkerhed.
Såfremt i vil støtte Daniel, kan i sætte penge ind på:
Reg : 1671 Konto nr : 0001209043
Jeg vil gerne opfordre alle til at give et lille bidrag, hvis de kan. Mange bække små. Lad os tage det ansvar, den danske stat med Fogh som butler og Pia Kjærsgaard i sadlen er for smålig og for ligeglad med de mennesker af kød og blod, den regerer, til at påtage sig.
Læs også: Tvangsudvist løsladt fra fængsel i Irak
DF = Totalitært Folkeparti
Dansk Folkeparti vil have indført et lovforslag, der forbyder “enhver form for forskelsbehandling af muslimer”. Er det bare mig, eller begynder det her at lugte af love, der forbyder jøder at gifte sig?
Men nu er det jo bare muslimer, og så er det åbenbart i orden. Det er lige før, man får lyst til at konvertere af bare solidaritet. Bloggeren Jomme fra urbanbloggen Lidt af Hvert har nogle af de samme betænkeligheder ved Dansk Folkepartis krav:
I sin enkethed går deres forslag ud på:
Forbud mod halalslagtet kød i skolernes madordninger.
Forbud mod særlige baderum og forhæng til muslimske elever, der ikke vil bade sammen med de andre elever efter idræt og svømning.
Forbud mod at give fridage til andre religiøse helligdage, f.eks. i forbindelse med ramadanen.
Ved snart ikke om jeg skal grine eller græde.
Nej, ærligt talt. Men måske Pia & Co. efterhånden har smidt masken i en sådan grad, at man åbent kan begynde at tale om, at de er et totalitært demokrati, der virkelig vil fratage os vore borgerlige rettigheder og reelt indføre diktatur, hvis de får chancen. Det ville ikke nødvendigvis være en dårlig ting – måske det kunne få en og anden til at vågne op.
Hvorfor jeg er sexkunde
“En luders dagbog” bringer et længere indlæg fra en midaldrende kunde, som forklarer, hvad der driver netop ham til at opsøge en prostitueret:
I en alder af 54 år og efter næsten 30 års ægteskab, har jeg pådraget meg en stor del af mine medmenneskers fordømmelse og afsky, jeg har opført mig taberagtigt, efter lovgivningen i nogle lande er jeg kriminel, Jeg har syndet, I Sverige kaldes min type af menneskeheden – en torsk, jeg har udnyttet en svag kvinde på den mest utiltalende måde…
Jeg elsker min kone og på alle områder, på nær eet, svinger vi godt sammen. Nu har jeg “syndet”, Jeg har købt mig til sex!!!. Baggrunden – forklaringen – undskyldningen, bestem selv, er at min kone og jeg ikke har helt samme seksuelle behov og lyster, hun er til den mere traditionelle – og jeg er til den mere eksperimentelle side, hvilket i årenes løb har givet anledning mange frustrationer og konflikter. Mine fantasier og lyster går i retning af BDSM, sex-legetøj, oralsex o.s.v.
Min kone har for snart mange år siden, direkte opfordret mig til at finde en ligesindet at udleve mine fantasier sammen med – en opfordring hun jævnligt har gentaget, men som jeg ikke har kunnet følge da det var mod mine daværende moralbegreber.
Set i bagklogskabens skarpe lys, er det tåbeligt at man har passeret sølvbrylluppet før man kommer så langt.
Der gik lang tid og mange overvejelser før jeg tog skridtet og lavede en aftale med en prostitueret…
I min søgen på internettet fandt jeg en hjemmeside der, emnet taget i betragtning, på en smagfuld og overbevisende måde beskrev pigen og de ydelser der kunne leveres. Jeg mailede lidt sammen med hende og fik en aftale i stand med pigen der havde passeret de 40 år og som arbejder selvstændigt. Hvis der havde været noget “skurvogns – Macho-holdning” i mit syn på at besøge en prostitueret, var det ihvertfald forsvundet da dagen oprandt…
Tjah, hvad kan man så sige, hvis man er en af moralens vogtere? Han er jo syg. Tænk engang, sådan endelig og efter 30 år at forfølge sin seksualitet på en måde, så han undgår følelsesmæssig utroskab i forhold til konen? Han trænger jo til behandling. Eller er det det samfund og de moralister, der har så travlt med at blande sig i, hvad andre bliver enige om med fuldt gensidigt samtykke, der trænger?
Storbritannien forlader Irak – med halen mellem benene
Seumas Milne skriver i The Guardian:
Britain’s armed forces will withdraw from Iraq with dishonour. Not only were they driven from Basra city last summer under cover of darkness by determined resistance, just as British colonial troops were forced out of Aden 40 years ago – and Iraq and Afghanistan, among other places, before that. But they leave behind them an accumulation of evidence of prisoner beatings, torture and killings, for which only one low-ranking soldier, Corporal Payne, has so far been singled out for punishment.
It’s necessary to spell out this brutal reality as a corrective to the official tendency to minimise or normalise the horror of what has evidently been a criminal enterprise – enthusiastically supported by David Cameron and William Hague, it should be remembered, as well as Tony Blair and his government – and a reminder of the dangers of escalating the war that can’t be won in Afghanistan.
…The struggle to end US occupation and control of the country is far from won.
The same goes for the wider shadow of the war on terror, of which Iraq has been the grisly centrepiece. Its legacy has been strategic overreach and failure for the US: from the rise of Iran as a regional power, the deepening imbroglio of the Afghan war, the advance of Hamas and Hizbullah and threat of implosion in Pakistan – quite apart from the advance of the nationalist left in Latin America and the growing challenge from Russia and China. But at its heart has been the demonstration of American weakness in Iraq, the three trillion-dollar war that helped drive the US economy into crisis.
Link: Britain leaves Iraq in shame. The US won’t go so quietly
What do you want from us?
Interessant perspektiv – Øst-Vest-relationen set fra Kina. Set på anti-CNN.com.
Pølsefabrikken
Humanistiske studerende i København skal gennes hurtigere igennem studiet, skriver Politiken:
Københavns Universitets Humanistiske Fakultet skruer bissen på over for de kommende studerende på den toårige kandidatoverbygning.
Hvis du ikke er færdig inden tre år, risikerer du at blive smidt ud, lyder det.
Nu gjorde jeg selv mit speciale færdigt sådan relativt hurtigt og faktisk næsten til tiden, så jeg ville slet ikke have været ramt af de regler, men alligevel: Er de blevet komplet vanvittige, derovre? Hvad med folk, der løber ind i en hurdle af den ene eller den anden art eller gerne vil have lidt mere tid til at fordybe sig i stoffet?
Nej, det er der skamt tænkt på – fordybelse er forrige århundrede:
»Ideen om tid til fordybelse hører industrialderen til. Vi bliver nødt til at bringe humaniora ind i det 21. århundrede og videnssamfundet«, siger prodekan Hanne Løngren: »Målet er at skabe humanister, der kan levere en vare af høj kvalitet inden for en given deadline«.
Med andre ord: Nu, hvor industrisamfundet i almindelighed forventes at blive afviklet til fordel for et mekaniseret videnssamfund, skal universitetsstudierne industrialiseres og deintellektualiseres. Alt, hvad der ikke er plads til i den moderne pølsefabrik, og som erhvervslivet ikke snævert har brug for, skal ud.
Sammenkoblet med regeringens idé om “salgbar” forskning, “fra forskning til faktura“, presser et andet forslag til “reform” af universiteterne sig på: Luk lortet.
Med denne her form for reformer varer det i hvert fald ikke længe, før der ikke er andet end skallen tilbage.
Læs også: Danmark: bagud af dansen