dance-films-politics

one step to hell

2010-12-28T12:24:00.003+01:00

I made one step to hell yesterday. Now I am pondering whether there's a way back, or only way forward?

Ahava: Stolen Beauty

2010-11-15T13:32:00.002+01:00

ISM Czech campaign on boycott of Ahava products.

Click the banner to get more info.

Al Jazeera: The Secret Iraq Files (WikiLeaks)

2010-10-25T00:13:00.004+02:00

The Secret Iraq Files

After the biggest leak of military secrets ever this special programme reveals the truth about the war in Iraq.

Al Jazeera: The Rageh Omaar Report on Lebanon

2010-10-25T00:10:00.004+02:00

Lebanon: What lies beneath

Why is the fate of thousands who disappeared during the Lebanese civil war still unsolved?

British Unions BDS - boycotting settlement goods

2010-09-19T13:38:00.003+02:00

Badil - Rights in Principle, Rights in Practice

2010-09-09T19:54:00.001+02:00

I am putting this up mainly as a storage for this pic which I will then put to the ISM Czech website. :-)

You can read more about Badil here.

Baaria (film)

2010-07-15T09:07:00.002+02:00

A beautiful Sicilian movie about 3 generations living in town Bagheria (Baaria in Sicilian slang) where the director, Giuseppe Tornatore, was born. I saw it in the cinema and before going, I watched the trailer and from what I saw there, I expected almost a kitch romanticized image of Italian life - simply only nice views made in Italian comedy-style.
I almost declined going, but then changed my mind but did not expect much.
The film was great - slow camera work at times, yes - the images were great and beautiful, but the story was narrated with such sensitivity and sensuality that I completely fell for it. Fragile characters full of humanity, childhood innocence, light and at times ironic humor, symbolism and just hints at a much deeper symbolism involved in that region. It left deep emotions in me, one of rare films I saw, very sensitive and intelligent.

en.wiki / Giuseppe Tornatore / cz.review / febiofest.review

The Informers (film, 2009)

2010-07-15T08:46:00.005+02:00

I watched it at home recently. It's based on a book by the author of American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis, directed by Gregor Jordan. It shows young spoiled teenagers living in the 80's Holywood - sex, drogs and rock-and-roll sort of thing, carelessness, not knowing the difference between right and wrong, lost and uprooted in the same way as their parents are. An artistic critique of the superficial shallow American culture. The film is dedicated to the actor Brad Renfro who died of drug abuse, he excelled in the role of Jack (hotel doorman). I found the dedication quite symbolic of the whole plot.

The Informers (2009 film)
Bret Easton Ellis (writer)
Gregor Jordan (director)
Brad Renfro (actor)
Mickey Rourke (actor)

Brno: Květy & Petr Hegyi

2010-02-09T23:39:00.010+01:00

Listening to a few songs by Květy, again, I noticed Petr Hegyi mentioned there: photos/videos.
His photos are good, original, different, sensual. I kind of like thinking of Brno and the time when I used to bump into him occasionally through a friend.

Květy / Petr Hegyi / video

Survival Song (film)

2010-02-01T01:15:00.008+01:00

Today, when I was watching AlJazeera's news on China's plans to build twelve new hydroelectric dams along the Yangtze river and about how inhabitants are evicted and their life gets worse, I remembered a beautifully made film by a Chinese director, Survival Song - by Yu Guangyi. I saw this film at the Czech Jihlava Film Fest in 2009.

In Survival Song, a hunter/trapper and his wife take an unemployed drifter named Xiao Lizi into their home. When their house is demolished to make way for a nearby dam, the family scatters: the wife goes back to her hometown, Xiao Lizi finds temporary work on a construction site, and the hunter/trapper - who is wanted for poaching - flees to escape the law.

Survival Song - (Xiao Lizi) - 2008
Independent Chinese Documentaries
AlJazeera
Jihlava Film Fest

What time is it in Caracas?

2010-01-22T10:29:00.002+01:00

Argentina: VideoDanza 09

2009-12-09T21:38:00.002+01:00

el vinculo
el blog
otro vinculo
movimiento.org

La Habana: Festival International del Nuevo Cine

2009-12-09T21:06:00.006+01:00

Del 3 al 13 diciembre de 2009, La Habana, Cuba

El Festival de La Habana expresa su apoyo a los cineastas de Honduras

festival
diario del festival

Documental: De Bolivar a Chavez

2009-12-09T20:57:00.003+01:00

Un documental histórico político sobre los últimos 200 años de lucha en Venezuela y en todo el continente. La resistencia de los pueblos al intervencionismo yanqui y los nuevos desafíos del siglo XXI.

siese - manuel ugarte
un blog

Anti War Posters

2009-12-01T09:02:00.002+01:00

Flickr

Code Pink against Afghanistan Escalation!

2009-12-01T08:57:00.004+01:00

CodePink Sign Petition
Women Say No to War
Michael Moore - An Open Letter To President Obama On Afghanistan

Shut Down the School of the Americas 2

2009-11-20T21:33:00.002+01:00

Protest
DN!

What's happening in Honduras?

2009-11-20T21:18:00.003+01:00

Key words: Coup, military, SOA, June 2009, Zelaya, coup president and coup regime, democratic president out

Tegucigalpa, Honduras - On June 28, 2009, graduates of the School of the Americas overthrew the democratically-elected government of Honduras.

In a well-planned operation, 200 masked soldiers under the command of General Romeo Vásquez Velásquez stormed the presidential palace in the middle of the night. The soldiers grabbed President Zelaya from his bed, forced him onto an airplane and flew him into exile. The state television was taken off the air. Electricity to the capital, Tegucigalpa, was cut, as were telephone lines and cell phone service.

Source
RealNews
Zelaya

Shut Down the School of the Americas

2009-11-20T21:05:00.005+01:00

SOA (School of the Americas) - an infamous institution training Latin American military to then support the US policies in the region. There is a campaign to shut down the school, as reported on DN!:

....annual protest against the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, formerly known as the School of the Americas, frequently dubbed the “School of the Assassins.” Critics say the school’s graduates are responsible for some of the worst human rights abuses in Latin America. The group School of Americas Watch says the role of US-trained generals in the recent Honduras military coup underscores the need for the school’s closure.

DN!
SOA Watch
en.wiki

Watch Latin America: TeleSUR

2009-11-14T19:44:00.005+01:00

A pan-Latin American terrestrial and satellite television network headquartered in Caracas, Venezuela. TeleSUR was launched with the objective of providing information to promote the integration of Latin America and as a counterweight to large international medias such as CNN, Univision, BBC, TVE and Deutsche Welle.

teleSUR / en.wiki
venezuelan state tv / en.wiki
canal 7 argentina / en.wiki

RealNews: El Salvador's gold fight goes international

2009-11-14T19:30:00.004+01:00

RealNews: After activists block its mining permit, Canadian gold mining corporation is using a US free trade agreement to sue the government of El Salvador
YouTube
RealNews
Mexico
Mentioned in one of the speeches: Eduardo Galeano (Uruguay's writer):
en.wiki
DemocracyNow!

1st Dance Films Festival in Prague!

2009-11-04T23:39:00.006+01:00

Organized by: Artn
Program:
- Hommage to Pina Bausch - Pina Bausch / Auf der suche nach tanz – das andere theater der Pina Bausch
- Dancin’ Germany (German dance films)
- DV8 - Enter Achilles
- Ultima Vez - Body, Body On the Wall / Blush
- and other short movies:
Dust (B, 1996, 4 min.), režie: Wim Vandekeybus
Montevideoaki (E, 2004, 5 min.), režie: Octavio Iturbe
Bliss (D, 2004, 3 min.), režie: Jacob Stage
Horizon of Exile (UK 2007, 22 min.), režie: I. Rocamora
Speed Ramp (UK 2002, 5 min.), r. Simon Corder

About artn (Czech):

Občanské sdružení Artn vzniklo s cílem prezentovat a iniciovat nové projekty z oblasti soudobé hudby, klasické hudební prostředky použít v jiném rámci, v jiném spojení, s prací jiných uměleckých oborů. Většina koncertů byla realizována v prostorách přímo nevyhrazeným koncertním či divadelním prezentacím. V minulosti tak byly projekty uvedeny v Tančícím domě v Praze, Plaveckém bazénu ve Slaném, Bazilice sv. Jiří na Pražském hradě apod. Artn je také hlavním organizátorem Festivalu tanečních filmů, jehož první ročník se uskuteční v Kině Světozor od 13. do 15. listopadu 2009. www.art-n.cz

divadlo.cz
kinosvetozor.cz
artn

Claude Lévi-Strauss est mort

2009-11-04T23:01:00.004+01:00

Claude Lévi-Strauss, né le 28 novembre 1908 à Bruxelles, mort le 30 octobre 2009 à Paris est un anthropologue et ethnologue français qui a exercé une influence décisive sur les sciences humaines dans la seconde moitié du XXe siècle en étant notamment l'une des figures fondatrices de la pensée structuraliste.

wikipedia
rfi
tristes tropiques
ct24 (czech)

Michael Moore: Capitalism: A Love Story

2009-10-23T21:33:00.005+02:00

This film is premiered next week at Jihlava Documentary Film Festival, Czech Republic.

30-minute interview with Michael Moore
MM
Jihlava doc film fest

Steve McQueen: Hunger (film)

2009-10-23T20:02:00.003+02:00

A life in prison under Thatcher's rule and a hunger protest by IRA prisoners. Chilling.
wiki (film)
1981 Irish hunger strike
UDA (a tattoo on a guard's fingers)
20-minute interview with Steve McQueen

ashtanga.cz yoga

2009-10-07T21:23:00.002+02:00

I am going to ashtanga class to stretch out again after 1.5 year long break from dancing. Thanks Evicka for this great tip! :-)

Tältprojektet - The Tent Project

2009-09-25T17:28:00.003+02:00

A huge musical theater performance on the history of the Swedish working class, which toured the country the summer of 1977 in a huge circus tent. The group included over 100 people, musicians, actors, and members of some of the biggest progg bands of Sweden at the time, most notable Nationalteatern. The Tent Project was a very radical, leftist political movement, but it included different political groups from anarchists to different types of communists and socialists.

Links:
Wiki
Film

Ship to Gaza in Sweden/Goteborg

2009-09-25T17:24:00.002+02:00

On 23/9 Ship to Gaza
Mattias Gardell och Monzer El Sabini presenterar Ship To Gaza - ett initiativ från människor i Sverige och Europa för att bryta isoleringen i Gaza. När det är ekonomiskt och praktiskt möjligt tänker de utrusta ett fartyg med förnödenheter och avsegla mot Gaza. Föredrag, samtal och fika. Sång och musik av Ahmed & Fadia Al Khatib. I samarbete med föreningen ”Ship to Gaza”. Kl 18. Fri entré.
Stallet
Blog
Mattias Gardell

UN General Assembly 2009 - Speeches

2009-09-25T15:37:00.004+02:00

Speeches of all the participants at the UN General Assembly ("General Debate of the 64th Session 23-26 & 28-30 September 2009") together with a summary are available here:

UN General Debate
Evo Morales
Hugo Chavez

Evo Morales at UN General Assembly

2009-09-25T15:28:00.003+02:00

In September 2009 in New York.

youtube

Film about Litvinov 2008

2009-09-17T10:13:00.005+02:00

pic

A film about a Nazi demonstration and local people support of it and a Roma protest against it, made by a student of Prague FAMU, called "The Circle - A Portrait of a Demonstration" was screened at Prague Roxy NOD club on Monday 7 Sept 2009.
As Pavel Eichler, a journalist and blogger at idnes.cz, rightly points out in a very good summary of the discussion which followed the screening, Czech Nazis started using very effective techniques how to jump into a discussion and disrupt it and make it seem that they are right and their arguments are justified. No! They are not! Nazis are planning another march later this year (17 Nov 2009 - again, a march - in their words - to support "freedom of speech and non-violence"). Let there be more people to stop them.

Tariq Ali on Oliver Stone's Film

2009-09-09T22:46:00.002+02:00

I wonder why there is no sound... A technical glitch?

u tube
more interviews on Venice Film Festival

Venice Film Festival 2009

2009-09-09T22:24:00.003+02:00

Pickups:
Michael Moore: Capitalism with Love

Steven Soderbergh: Informant!

Oliver Stone: South of the Border

Claire Denis: Matériel blanc

Lineup:

Opening film: Baaria - Giuseppe Tornatore - Italy

Soul Kitchen, Fatih Akin - Germany
La Doppia Ora, Giuseppe Capotondi - Italy
Yi ngoi (Accident), Cheang Pou-Soi - China/Hong Kong
Persecution, Patrice Chereau - France
Lo Spazio Bianco (White Space), Francesca Comencini - Italy
White Material - Claire Denis - France
Mr. Nobody, Jaco van Dormael - France
A Single Man, Tom Ford - US
Lourdes, Jessica Hausner - Austria
Bad Lieutenant: Port Of New Orleans, Werner Herzog - US
The Road, John Hillcoat - US
Ahasin Wetei (Between Two Worlds), Vimukhti Jayasundara - Sri Lanka
El Mosafer (The Traveller), Ahmed Maher - Eqypt
Levanon (Lebanon), Samuel Maoz - Israel
Capitalism: A Love Story, Michael Moore - US
Zanan-e-bedun-e mardan (Women Without Men), Shirin Neshat - Germany
Il Grande Sogno (The Big Dream), Michele Placido - Italy
36 Vues Du Pic Saint Loup, Jacques Rivette - France
Life During Wartime,Todd Solondz - US
Tetsuo The Bullet Man, Shinya Tsukamoto - Japan
Lei wangzi (Prince of Tears), Yonfan - China/Taiwan/Hong Kong
There will be an additional “surprise film” in competition.

OUT OF COMPETITION

[Rec] 2 - Paco Plaza, Jaume Balaguero - Spain
Chengdu, Wo Ai Ni (Chengdu, I Love You), Fruit Chan, Cui Jian - China
The Hole, Joe Dante - US
The Men Who Stare At Goats, Grant Heslov - US
Ehky ya Schahrazad (Scheherazade, Tell Me A Story), Yousry Nasrallah - Egypt
Yona Yona Penguin, Rintaro - Japan
The Informant!, Steven Soderbergh - US

wiki
venice film festival official pages

What's happening in Northern Yemen? (2009)

2009-09-09T22:08:00.006+02:00

5 years of conflict in the North of Yemen.

What's happening in Pakistan? (June 2009)

2009-06-29T10:24:00.004+02:00

A good interview on DemocracyNow! with Pakistani opposition politician Imran Khan.

"...[the US/Pakistani actions] are going to fan militancy..."

...And it is true that the people wanted some sort of an operation, but not actually what happened. To go after 5,000 Taliban, they have displaced three-and-a-half million people. To use artillery, helicopter gunships, F-16s on civilian population, they’ve caused this massive human catastrophe. And so, yes, people wanted an operation, but they didn’t want this, because this now, if anything, is going to fan militancy. How are they going to rehabilitate these people? Their crops are destroyed. These are subsistence farmers, most of them. Their fruit orchards, their animals. So what are they going to go back to? This is another problem we face now.

Link:
Interview on DN! (June 24, 2009)

Sudan (documentary on Czech TV)

2009-06-29T09:46:00.005+02:00

A very nice documentary on Czech television (in Czech), made in 1999.
The presenter is Petr Pelican (Arabist who is now honorary consul for Sudan in Prague), among others great shooting of Sudanese Cultural Festival in Khartoum (Chartúm).

Links:
Honorary Consul Prague
Interview with Petr Pelican
Documentary Link/ Synopsis
Khartoum / Sudan (en.wiki)

A thousand stars

2009-03-10T23:21:00.002+01:00

link to picture

...Stars like dreams that are so easy to touch and imagine at night
And when the day comes they are so hard to remember and realize
Suddenly scared of any kind of small change
Which would open more my mind and move me forward
Scared of uncertainty, failure and of being alone

Sudan... Yemen

2009-03-10T22:05:00.003+01:00

Spent the last 3 weeks on a trip to Yemen, a journey which in the first week seemed like watching a film and not fully realizing being there, the last few days seemed already quite familiar (even though I could never get used to such huge differentiation between behavior towards a man and a woman), and when I got back home, civilization seemed irreal.
Similar feelings as when I got back from Tibet (and China in general) about 2 years ago. I remember I did not want to go back to the reality at least in my mind, I wanted to keep my memories of the different people, cultures and landscapes even in my bones for as long as possible. This time it was very similar. I closed my eyes and could see yellow and brown everywhere - sand, ground, dry fields and dusty roads. Sun and warmth on my skin. Rural places with such strong feelings of being in a forgotten land and in a far-away century. People crowding and smiling in bustling markets, full of pulsing life and vitality. So strong emotions from these pictures in my mind. One could think in poor countries people are just sad and there is not much going on, but on the contrary, with the relatively little they have (seen through my eyes), they have busy and rich lives. Could not forget going to bed at 7pm (5pm Czech time!) as there was no light and nothing much to do when camped in Socotra or Haraz mountains, and getting up at 5am with first beams of light or with the singing/shouting of muezzins in the cities. I remember wanting to stay awake the whole night and just stare at the millions of stars I could see in the sky. Having wishes when I saw a star falling down...
My two pieces of experience which I see now as most influential:
- for the first time in Arab world, encounter of the very different behavior towards women, the position of women in Arab world (black veil, black clothes, you can see just their beautiful eyes, minimum of women in the streets, just in markets but never in restaurants, tea houses, or never just hanging around like men... this was supposedly very different e.g. 20 years ago or when Yemen was divided)
- felt like a trip to middle ages or as my friends pointed out, in some cases to neolit.. very rural, people living from simple things, village life surrounded by goats, donkeys, hens, cows, camels, wild dogs demanding food, everyday pasture, crop yelding, sports, kat chewing by men, cow dry excrement collecting etc. Need to say, also a very different political system...
Also one inspiration - in Zabid town in Tihama region, we went to a female workshop where girls were restauring wooden doors or they were wood carving windows, painting etc., this workshop was run by a German development organization called GTZ.de and they have quite many projects in developing countries. I would like to get in touch with them and find out more how to set up something similar, e.g. to help women to develop their skills and get a profession.
I browsed for some Yemen info on the internet and found this blog by an Australian who travelled this region and around. From his page, there is also the picture below, from Sudan, quite stunning (firstly I thought it was from Ethiopia which was just a stone's throw away from Yemen and it was quite tempting... so at least we went for a real Ethiopian coffee serverd by Eritreans in Sana'a..).
Yemen pictures perhaps another time...

fespaco - film festival in burkina faso

2009-02-03T21:17:00.002+01:00

21ème édition du Festival Panafricain du Cinéma et de la Télévision de Ouagadougou (FESPACO) de 28 février au 07 mars 2009, plus d'info sur le site oficiele. Ausssi sur le bbc (2005 seulement).

Blogos

2008-11-29T11:49:00.004+01:00

Three interesting blogs - The Life of KatusHqa (ex-colleague from Sun), and some other blogs - Mostly Martha and The Happy Haven - I found searching for some inspiration for my new blog which might have something in common with zebra crossings...

Georgia

2008-11-27T01:10:00.005+01:00

Read in DemocracyNow! (Wed 11/26):
Ex-Georgian Diplomat: U.S. OK’d Georgian Attack
A former Georgian diplomat has publicly testified that the United States gave Georgia the green light earlier this year to start a war against Russia in the breakaway region of Abkhazia. The diplomat [Erosi Kitsmarishvili] told a parliamentary hearing in Georgia that Georgian authorities were responsible for starting the conflict. For months U.S. and Georgian officials have blamed Russia for starting the hostilities.

Bývalý gruzínský diplomat: USA souhlasila s útokem Gruzie
Bývalý gruzínský diplomat veřejně vypověděl, že USA daly Gruzii svolení k rozpoutání války proti Rusku v souvislosti s vyhlášením nezávislosti Abcházie. Erosi Kitsmarišvili uvedl během své výpovědi v gruzínském parlamentu, že zodpovědnost za započetí konfliktu nesou gruzínské orgány. USA a Gruzie již několik měsíců obviňují Rusko ze vzniku konfliktu.

Afghanistan

2008-11-27T00:47:00.004+01:00

Read in DemocracyNow! (Wed 11/26):
Karzai Calls on Timeline To End War in Afghanistan
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has called on the international community to set a timeline to end the war in Afghanistan. Karzai said: “This war has gone on for seven years, the Afghans don’t understand anymore, how come a little force like the Taliban can continue to exist, can continue to flourish, can continue to launch attacks.” Karzai also accused the U.S. and other foreign countries of creating a "parallel government” in parts of Afghanistan.

Kazraj požaduje časový plán na ukončení války v Afgánistánu
Afgánský prezident Hamíd Karzaj vyzval mezinárodní společenství k vytyčení časového harmonogramu na ukončení války v Afgánistánu. Karzaj uvedl: "Tato válka trvá již 7 let, Afgánci jí již vůbec nerozumí, jak je možné, že tak malá síla jako Talibán může stále existovat, nadále bujet a provádět útoky." Karzaj obvinil dále USA a další cizí státy z vytváření "paralelních vlád" v částech Afgánistánu.

Wallerstein o Obamově vítězství

2008-11-23T12:51:00.002+01:00

Na webu Res publica článek od Wallersteina - Obamovo vítězství - strach a naděje, přeložený Rudolfem Převrátilem.

Outrageous!

2008-11-22T20:48:00.004+01:00

Read in DemocracyNow! (on Fri 11/21):

Judge Orders Release of Five Guantanamo Prisoners

A federal judge has ordered the immediate release of five Algerians held at Guantanamo. US District Judge Richard Leon said the government’s evidence linking the men to al-Qaeda was not credible, because it came from a single, unidentified source. The men have been held for seven years.

Soudce nařizuje propuštění pěti vězňů na Guantanámu

Federální soudce nařídil okamžité propuštění pěti Alžířanů držených na Guantanámu. Okresní soudce Richard Leon uvedl, že vládní důkazy spojující tyto muže s Al-Kajdou nejsou věrohodné, protože pochází z jediného a neověřeného zdroje. Muži jsou zadržováni 7 let.

Third Party Candidates

2008-11-07T13:52:00.005+01:00

In main stream media not much discussed are the Third Party Candidates (another link here). Many interviews with them can be found e.g. on DemocracyNow!, they also have quite many youtube videos.
The most interviewed in alternative media are:

Ralph Nader - Independent
Bob Barr - Libertarian
Cynthia McKinney - Green Party
Charles Baldwin - Constitution Party

A full list of them e.g. here.
Pic taken from rfi.fr (a rather ironic title juxtaposed the pic :( ).

Ralph Nader, Ron Paul (Republican) and Bob Barr.

Oceán v kapce rosy

2008-10-30T07:32:00.006+01:00

yunnán

Jediné slovo může změnit něčí osud.

Žádné slovo není zcela nevinné. Správná řeč je úsporná. Nač zvětšovat utrpení tohoto světa? Je třeba, je-li to možné, vztahy mezi lidmi zlepšovat - nelhat, neosočovat, nepomlouvat. Mluvit o někom není moudré. Mluvíme-li o třetí osobě ve zlém, můžeme jí uškodit, ale když ji příliš vychvalujeme, nevážíme si sdostatek osoby, s níž hovoříme. Měli bychom naopak povzbuzovat, utěšovat, správně uvažovat, zklidňovat a hlavně se usmívat. Snažit se probouzet touhu po duchovních věcech. Podle buddhistického učení vnáší správná řeč do tohoto světa o něco víc míru, moudrosti a štěstí.

Henry Brunel - Oceán v kapce rosy - zenové příběhy
Z kapitoly "Jak se urozený muž stal poustevníkem"

Literárky: O nevoličích v USA

2008-10-30T07:13:00.004+01:00

"Volby v současné podobě nezpůsobují změnu poměrů, pouze střídání mocenských elit. Poměry se mění v závislosti na náladě a názorové konstelaci, která ve společnosti vzniká. I když se tedy prezidentu Obamovi podaří prosadit nějaké zásadní změny, bude to zásluhou společenského tlaku, případně kampaní občanských nebo lobbistických skupin."

Mark Cooper (am. novinář) v rozhovoru pro Literárky

...V r. 2000 byla v USA volební účast málo nad 50%, tj. nevolilo více než 120 mil. oprávněných voličů. ...Cooper a další nevoliči poukazují na neovlivnitelnost změn ve 'velkých' volbách, jako např. prezidentských. Z nevoliče se stává volič, pokud jde o volby na místní n. federální úrovni.

Palestinian Film Festival in Toronto

2008-10-27T22:37:00.005+01:00

Just watched on The Real News an invitation to Toronto Palestine Film Festival. It is not so frequent that there would be Palestinian Film Festivals, so let's see what's there..! (Links to other festivals here or here.)

DemocracyNow: Iraq Vets Lead Antiwar March to Dem. Convention

2008-08-29T00:30:00.003+02:00

Iraq Vets Lead Antiwar March to Dem. Convention

Outside the convention, thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets of Denver to call on Democrats to back an immediate US withdrawal from Iraq. Members of Iraq Veterans Against the War led the march to the perimeter surrounding the Pepsi Center. A tense standoff ensued as police threatened to pepper spray and forcibly disperse the crowd. But the rally ended peacefully after Obama staffers agreed to meet protest leaders. In addition to an immediate withdrawal from Iraq, the demands also included paying reparations to the Iraqi people. The march began at a concert by the band Rage Against the Machine.

B’Tselem - 'Shooting Back' Project

2008-08-02T22:10:00.004+02:00

"I am shooting back"

B’Tselem is an Israeli human rights organization that monitors human rights in the Palestinian Territories and namely violations against Palestinians. I heard about them when watching news on DemocracyNow on Aug 1st 08 and there was a talk about civic activity of making videos at demonstrations which later help demonstrators when accused of some misconducts and later sued (e.g. at the Republican Convention 4 years ago and now preparing for Democratic Convention in Denver etc.). These people created organizations called I-Witness Video and the founder Eileen Clancy talked about a recent case when a cyclist was pushed off his bike by a by-standing policeman during 'Critical Mass Ride'.

This was compared also to another similar project - "Shooting Back", which is in general about giving cameras/video cameras to people whose rights are infringed to empower them and talk about their life conditions via camera.

So I looked up "Shooting Back" and found another DemocracyNow link leading to an interview with a film maker from the B'Tselem organization.

Going to B'Tselem pages, it is interesting to see videos, but also reports on Palestinian abuses and also the death toll of the conflict (from 9/2000-6/2008).

So for example, there were:
4748 Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces
45 Palestinians killed by Israeli civilians
236 Israeli civilians killed by Palestinians
244 Israeli security force personnel killed by Palestinians
577 Palestinians killed by Palestinians

I was surprised to see the number of Palestinians killed by Palestinians - very high! Why? Mainly killed in exchange of gunfire..., also in clashes between Fatah and Hamas... Among the victims of Israeli security forces, they were very often young guys who were exchanging fire with them; and also very often just innocent people being in the wrong place where an attack took place... Read more on their site, interesting with all the names given. (Finally there are names.)

What was also shocking is the statistics on death "following an infringement of the right to medical treatment in the Occupied Territories". 6 this year; 15 last year....

P.S.
"Shooting Back" as I read on another web site was originally started as a project in the early 1980s when UPI (United Press International) photographer Jim Hubbard was documenting lives of homeless people and children always wanted to look through his camera, he realized that they could document their world themselves. In 1989 Hubbard created the Shooting Back organization teaching photography to children at risk. "The name was coined from a spontaneous comment by one of the young participants in the program: when asked why he was photographing his own world, the homeless child responded, 'I am shooting back'."

Cours complets

2008-07-30T07:31:00.003+02:00

J'etais vraiment en retard pour me decider et renseigner pour les cours en Lausanne. Ils commencent dans deux semaines et bien sur, sans preinscription, on n'est plus possible de s'inscrire. Ca veut dire que je dois apprendre moi meme de nouveau et je dois penser quoi est-ce que je vais faire pendents mes 3 semaines de vacances..! ...Pourquoi? J'ai 34 ans et je suis tan 'undecided'!

Les cours 2008 du Cours de vacances sont tous COMPLETS. Il n'est plus possible de s'inscrire. Nous vous remercions de votre compréhension et vous prions de consulter notre site internet : www.unil.ch/cvac pour les dates de notre prochain cours en hiver 2009.

Le français et moi

2008-07-12T18:38:00.037+02:00

"Aimer, ce n'est pas se regarder l'un l'autre,

c'est regarder ensemble dans la même direction."
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Avant que je decide où est-ce que je vais voyager, je peux practiquer un peu de français moi même par écrivant les blogs comme cette ci. J'ai essayé un test aujourd'hui ici et le résultat est niveau B2. Ce qui est vraiment ennuyant est le fait que ca fait déjà 10 ans que j'ai visité Grenoble pour apprendre le français, et j'etais déjà habitué a parler et ecrir, mais aprés plusiers ans que je n'apprennais rien, j'ai oublié tout. C'est un fait et ce n'est pas grave, c'est seulement fatiguant et ennuyant de devoir suivre le même chemin de nouveau. (Sans dire que la meme situation peut etre pour les autres langues que j'apprens.)

En tout cas, quelques expressiones interessantes de mon excercice d'aujourd'hui:

Ne pas avoir l’air dans son assiette = Etre préoccupée, soucieuse
Avoir la pêche = Etre en forme
Ça fait des lustres = Cela fait très longtemps
Mettre les voiles = S'en aller / partir
Coûter les yeux de la tête = Coûter très cher / Etre trop onéreux
Redonner un coup de fouet = Etre de nouveau stimulée
Avoir du pain sur la planche = Avoir beaucoup de choses à faire
Couper la poire en deux = Faire un compromis

Et quelques d'autres:

poser un lapin = nepřijít na schůzku
mettre les pieds dans le plat = říct něco, co jsme neměli říct, co se nehodí
il pleut des cordes = lije jako z konve
avoir un coup de foudre = zamilovat se
tomber dans les pommes = omdlít
avoir la gueule de bois = mít kocovinu
avoir la peche = být ve formě
il fait un froid de canard = opravdu velká zima
ne pas avoir les yeux dans sa poche = být všímavý
avoir les jambes en coton = sotva se držet na nohou /
To have legs like jelly, to feel weak at the knees

Photos d'ici et d'ici. Les expresiones ici et ici

Lausanne ou non

2008-07-12T10:34:00.006+02:00

C'est de mes vacances - le premier plan c'etait d'aller en Suisse a Lausanne pour voir mes amis superbs (Lea et Olivier) et pour apprendre le francais pour 3 semaines. J'etais sur de ca. Je dois aller car je veux avancer mon francais. Et maintenent - mon petit ami va en Turquie avec ses amis pour deux semaines et puis on pourrait voyager ensemble - en Turquie ou en Armenie ou bien en Iraq (c'est pas claire deja). Et comme toujours, je voudrais les deux choses! Prendre decisions etait assez dure pour moi les derniers semaines, mois.

Women Dreams

2008-07-12T08:57:00.008+02:00

Les reves de femmes. J'ai trouve les sites par hazard (comme d'habitude) - j'ai cherche quelques nouvelles pour traductions en tcheque de DemocracyNow nouvelles. Et oui, j'ai trouve quelques traductiones - ici sur a-punk.cz et aussi l'archive. Et l'archive donne un lien comment on peut creer son pages de web. Alors j'ai suivi le lien et il y avait entre autres chauses autres liens recommendes (comme d'habitude). Et ce que tirait mes yeux, c'etait la page qui s'appele "Hrníčkové nadělení" (comme "Les étrennes de petit pots"...). Et j'etais courieuse voir que c'etait! La page etait assez drole - il y avait les photos de dizaines de petit pots, en coulours et formes varies, d'origines differentes etc. Il y avait trois generations de femmes qui sont represente la bas. Premierment, la petit fille Maruška, qui a la photo sur la premiere page et qui introduit Les etrennes de petit pots. Puis il y a la mere de Maruška (qui je crois est l'auter de cette page) - elle est represente par les dizaines de pots avec points (61 exemplaires) et apres aussi la grande mere avec les pots avec coeurs (170 exemplaires!).

Mais, bien sur, ce n'est pas tout! On peut voir que la mere est vraiment active (et comment dire ... typiquement feminine ... elle fait les travails creatives assez typiques pour les femmes [tcheques ou en general]) - elle s'interese aux autres choses aussi - elle fait les "ruční práce" (elle cree son oeuvres en main) comme "drátkování" (nettoyage à la paille de fer), "háčkování" (broderie au crochet ou travail au crochet), "madeirové kraslice" (oeufs de madeira?), "perníčky" (pain d'épice) etc.

Mais, bien sur, ce n'est pas tout! Il y a autres liens recomendes (comme toujours), alors j'ai suivi les autres liens et j'ai suivi autres liens de ce autres liens. Et comme ca, j'ai trouve pages d'autres femmes qui revent et qui creent les chauses extraordinaires - soi son jardins qui sont toutes en fleures (et on peut voir dizaines de photos de jardins et de fleurs), soi les oeuvres de main creatives comme "home accessories" - les choses qui font interieurs et exterieurs de ses maisons plus belles et chalereuses.

Ce qui me plaisait le plus s'etait la page de Petra (oui, c'est simpa parce que ella porte la meme nom comme moi) ici. Les photos ici sont a elle aussi. Et si on a beaucoup de temps, on peut continuer et lien par lien regarder les millions de photos sur Picassa. Mais moi non, ca suffit pour moi! Je vais travailler sur mon jardin pour pouvoir montre mes photos de reves et de femme ideal! ;) (Comme ici. ;) )

PTSD

2008-07-11T11:54:00.006+02:00

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

People with PTSD have persistent frightening thoughts and memories of their ordeal and feel emotionally numb, especially with people they were once close to. They may experience sleep problems, feel detached or numb, or be easily startled.
nimh

On the 8th of July 2008, US vet from Iraq war, Joseph Dwyer (31), died of overdose on a computer cleaner aerosol. As all the newspapers note, Dwyer became famous when a picture of him was taken when he was carrying a child into safety in the first weeks of Iraq war.

His death "has highlighted the neglect many American veterans believe they face once they return home. (...) It emerged that Mr Dwyer's post-war civilian life was also no different to that of many fellow veterans. For years, he struggled against post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), drug abuse, unemployment and marital breakdown. (...) Police in several states had been dealing with Mr Dwyer for several years as he suffered from violent delusions that he was being hunted by Iraqi soldiers." More here and here.

US Department of Veteran Affairs:
What is PTSD?

Returning from the War Zone: A Guide for Families of Military Personnel
An Overview of the Mental Health Effects of Serving in Afghanistan and Iraq

Iran

2008-06-30T19:09:00.004+02:00

What do we know about Iran’s nuclear program? We do not know that they have a nuclear weapons program. You know, we had the NIE back last November that told us they had actually suspended important aspects of the nuclear weapons program back in 2003. And nobody has said that they have reconstituted those aspects of the weapons program since then. So the basis for any kind of attack, either by the US or by Israel or by anybody, just doesn’t exist under international law, just as it didn’t exist back in 2003 against Iraq.

Helena Cobban
JustWorldNews.org
blogger, Quaker activist and veteran journalist; on June 23, 2008

And a famous speech by Gravel:

...This is Fantasy land--we're talking about ending the war [in Iraq]; my God, we're just starting another war! There was a vote in the Senate today--Joe Lieberman, who authored the Iraq resolution, has offered another resolution, and it's essentially a fig leaf to let George Bush go to war with Iran.
I want to congratulate Biden & Dodd for voting against it, and I'm ashamed of you, Hillary, for voting for it. You're not going to get another shot at this--we invade and they're looking for an excuse to do it. And Obama was not even there to vote.

Mike Gravel

On Sept 26, 2007; New Hampshire Democratic Debate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3gQfz8GC0o

And yet...

CLINTON [answering to Gravel]: My understanding of the revolutionary guard in Iran is that it is promoting terrorism. It is manufacturing weapons that are used against our troops in Iraq. It is certainly the main agent of support for Hezbollah, Hamas and others, and in what we voted for today, we will have an opportunity to designate it as a terrorist organization, which gives us the options to be able to impose sanctions on the leaders.

And yet...
Lieberman: Bomb Iran If It Doesn't Stop
Lieberman: Iran strike should be considered
Írán se připravuje na válku, už nechal vykopat 320 000 hrobů
New Yorker: USA chtějí do konce roku připravit útok na Írán
Senátor McCain před voliči zpíval: Bombardujte Írán
Bush: zpráva, že Írán bombu nevyvíjí, je varovným znamením
Hersh: Congress Agreed to Bush Request to Fund Major Escalation in Secret Operations Against Iran

unsubscribe-me.org

2008-06-27T18:26:00.011+02:00

Amnesty International launched the unsubscribe campaign in November 2007 with this truly powerful film entitled Waiting for the Guards. It is NOT pleasant to watch... just a warning. (Also the same theme in The Road to Guantanamo.)

Waiting For The Guards is the first of 3 films commissioned by Amnesty to highlight the enhanced interrogation techniques used by the CIA in the “War on Terror”. The Directors approached the making of the film in a way that has never been done before, choosing to show the reality of Stress Positions in as authentic a way as possible. They filmed a person who was put in Stress Positions for over a 6 hour period. There is no acting on the part of the “prisoner” – his pain and anguish are real. This powerful film shows without a doubt that what the US administrations say is interrogation is really torture, and must be stopped.

List of films:
Waiting for the Guards
Waterboarding
Close Guantanamo now - demo in London (part 1)
Close Guantanamo now - demo in London (part 2)

Leon Kuhn

2008-06-27T17:01:00.009+02:00

Leon Kuhn es un escritor y pintor de caricaturas. Encontre su obra la primera vez con el grupo Fun-Da-Mental de Gran Bretana cual utilizo su imagen del "Statue of Liberty" por su disco "All is War: The Benefits of G-Had".

Neck & Neck: Leon Kuhn's take on the Obama / Clinton race

ánimos

2008-06-22T13:40:00.005+02:00

Este blog de una eslovaca que vive en Brusel... trabaja como medica y escribe muy interestante de su profesion y su vida. Lo encontre a el blog cecho "bloguje.cz" el sabado cuando tenia un humor parecido. :-) La fotografía esta a ella de su paseo en Brusel y me gusta mucho.

The Libertine - Prologue

2008-06-22T13:13:00.012+02:00

El prólogo de mi pelicula favorita.

Allow me to be frank at the commencement.
You will not like me.
The gentlemen will be envious and the ladies will be repelled.
You will not like me now and you will like me a good deal less as we go on.
Ladies, an announcement.
I am up for it.
All the time.
That is not a boast or an opinion.
It is bone-hard medical fact.

I put it round, you know.
And you will watch me putting it round and sigh for it.
Don't.
It is a deal of trouble for you and you are better off watching and drawing your conclusions from a distance than you would be if I got my tarse up your petticoats.
Gentlemen, do not despair.
I am up for that as well.
And the same warning applies.
Still your cheesy erections till I've had my say, but later when you shag, and later you will shag, I shall expect it of you, and I will know if you have let me down.
I wish you to shag with my homuncular image rattling in your gonads.
Feel... how it was for me, how it is for me.
And ponder.
Was that shudder the same shudder he sensed?
Did he know something more profound?
Or is there some wall of wretchedness that we all batter with our heads at that shining live-long moment?
That is it.
That is my prologue.
Nothing in rhyme.
No protestations of modesty.
You were not expecting that, I hope.
I am John Wilmot.
Second Earl of Rochester.
And I do not want you to like me.

Watch: freedocumentaries.org

2008-06-21T20:39:00.006+02:00

Virtually by chance, I came across this site with many documentary films that can be watched online - e.g. Sicko, Road to Guantanamo, The Take and many many others. There are Africa, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, Russia, South Asia and US documentaries... unbelievable selection...

Mi jardin en primavera (2008)

2008-06-17T21:18:00.007+02:00

(as if I was ever to learn Spanish...)

(pero quiero que aprender hablar mas)

(rápidamente como este tornillo corriendo...)

Armenian Genocide (1915)

2008-03-29T22:22:00.010+01:00

Vittorio (left) and Paolo Taviani on the set of "The Lark Farm." (Spiegel)

At the FebioFest in Prague, I am going to watch the film "The Lark Farm" by Italian directors Paolo Taviani and Vittorio Taviani about the disputed genocide of Armenians in Turkey at the start of WWI. Supposedly 1.5 million Armenians died, which was 3/4 of Armenian population in Turkey at that time...
More links below.

Czech article on this
Wikipedia
Genocide disputed
Genocide disputed 2

LA MASSERIA DELLE ALLODOLE: Genocidio armeno

Armenian genocide

PetrUhl - Human Rights as Whipping Stick

2008-03-18T18:42:00.004+01:00

Czech journalist, political activist and politician Petr Uhl wrote an article on Tibet and how the current situation can be misinterpreted easily:

"Beijing should acknowledge that Dalai Lama is not pursuing independence, but he is asking for a dialogue. Even European and US right-wing parties have no interest in making this fact public. Freedom for Tibet and hanging up of Tibet's flag is understood by all as desire for independence. As in Kosovo. ...The matter is not human rights, or protection, but on the contrary weakening, and in this case of China..."

DV8 - To Be Straight With You

2008-03-18T07:08:00.008+01:00

As suggested in a blog entry from 2006, DV8 started to work on a new performance, and now it is out! It premiered in Lloyd's country of birth, Australia, on 13th - 16th March, and there will certainly be more reviews coming!

Official info here: DV8's Artistic Director Lloyd Newson leads a multi-ethnic cast in a poetic but unflinching exploration of tolerance, intolerance, religion and sexuality.

DV8's new production is based on hundreds of hours of audio interviews collected throughout the UK with people directly affected by these issues. Incorporating dance, text, documentary, animation and film, twenty years on DV8 still refuses to be defined.

TheGuardian: Husak vs. Bush

2008-03-13T23:44:00.010+01:00

Husak's Czechoslovakia and Bush's America is compared by the Guardian, inspired by Martina Navratilova's criticism of Bush (she is saying there is no difference between Husak's era in socialist Czechoslovakia and Bush's reign now, or Bush is even worse). The newspaper compares support of the presidents (Husak 15%; Bush 19-30%); health care (free; 16% without health insurance respectively); standard of living vs. freedom (low standard but want of freedom; high standard but no fight for freedom; , i.e. consumerism does not / does placate the population respectively); employment (full employment vs. recession and job loss); visa (similar approach - "arbitrary" vs. Patriot Act); torture (covert tool vs. officially sanctioned).

For me, growing up under Husak... this is quite incomparable (people did want consumerism and not everyone was ready to fight for their freedom and risk the future of their children, but I have no real experience of living in the US under Bush as Novotna does..). However, as for social rights, that seems a different story.

Guardian article here. Czech version here.
Other articles in Guardian when searching for "Husak" here.

Film: Lake of Fire

2008-03-13T01:55:00.001+01:00

Lake of Fire trailer

A good film on the dilemmas of abortion and fundamental religious right members who go and kill "abortionists" - doctors carrying out abortion. I was shocked to see how many doctors were killed and how brutal and blind in views the pro-life side could be, what fundamentalism lies behind the anti-abortion propaganda. This film is not a 'black and white' depiction of abortions, but shows how complex / personal / political and dubious this question can be.
Another great film treating abortion is the Romanian "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days".

Official info about the film from ThinkFilmNY:
Ever since Roe v. Wade, the United States has been deeply divided on the issue of abortion. In that landmark case, an unmarried pregnant woman was refused an abortion in Texas and, with the ensuing judicial challenge, won American women the right to safe, legal abortions. Ever since, proponents and opponents have lined up on either side of the issue, launching verbal abuse -- and worse -- at each other. As the religious right has increased in size and power in the past decade, the issue has become even more divisive -- and violent.

Filmmaker Tony Kaye, best known for "American History X," has been working on LAKE OF FIRE for the past fifteen years and has made a film that is unquestionably the definitive work on the subject of abortion. Shot in luminous black and white, which is in fact an endless palette of grays, the film has the perfect esthetic for a subject where there can be no absolutes, no 'right' or 'wrong.' He gives equal time to both sides, covering arguments from either extremes of the spectrum, as well as those at the center, who acknowledge that, in the end, everyone is 'right' -- or 'wrong.'

With graphic images of termination procedures and their aftermath, Kaye endeavors to show abortion's physical and psychological reality -- to make clear what exactly is at stake. LAKE OF FIRE -- the film's title comes from one person's description of what awaits abortionists in hell -- is a brave film, even a monumental one. And whatever you believe now, you are certain to think differently after seeing it.

What's Happening in Tibet?

2008-03-13T01:03:00.001+01:00

“Tibet will always have a deep impression on us. Please do support the Tibetans who are struggling for some freedom.” (Travellers to Tibet Steve and Ulrike / Phayul.com)

On the outskirts of Dharamsala - march to Tibet. (Photo by Tenzin Dasel / Phayul.com)

Monday, 10 March 2008 - about 300 monks from Drepung monastery (near Lhasa) trying to march to the capital to commemorate the unsuccessful uprising in 1959 against the Chinese occupation. About 70 people, mainly monks, detained following the protest. March stopped by police, now Drepung monastery sealed by military.
Tuesday, 11 March 2008 - about 600 monks from Sera monastery (Lhasa) trying to march in protest against the detentions from the previous day - stopped soon afterwards by the police controlling the monastery - police used tear gas, they were armed with electric prods, or had firearms.

Dharamsala, India - about 100 Tibetans living in India returning back to China in support of free Tibet - stopped by Indian police.
Kathmandu, Nepal - about 1,000 Tibetan exiles clashed with police while trying to march to the Chinese embassy to protest about the Olympic games.
Wednesday, 12 March 2008 - Lhasa calm, police controlling Potala palace and monasteries, all internet cafes "closed".

George Galloway - 6 Aug 2006 - SkyNews

2008-03-13T00:39:00.002+01:00

An unforgettable interview, even after 2 years, with George Galloway on UK SkyNews about Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Hizballah and insightful memory and history, here and below.

Czech transcript here.

An interesting account on Galloway's impulse for his interest in the Palestinian question is given in his autobiography I'm Not The Only One.

AI: Palestinian homes demolished without warning

2008-03-13T00:26:00.001+01:00

Bulldozer destroys Palestinians' property in Hadidiya, West Bank, 11 March 2008
© Amnesty International

AI report here.
Another 'buldozer' blog entry here.
See video about deliberate demolitions! - A document made by a group of volunteer Americans on real life conditions in Palestine -- Tobias - Life in Palestine Real Footage

Villains You Will Not See at OneWorld Human Rights Festival

2008-03-11T02:34:00.001+01:00

Ondřej Slačálek, anarchist and political activist and scientist, comments well on the Czech OneWorld HR film festival. In this article, he points at the selectivity of the "dictators' advertisement", and in the anarchist magazine A-kontra he proposes other villains which would be in high competition as far as their criminal rate is concerned -- George W. Bush - USA, Hashim Thaçi - Kosovo, Islom Karimov - Uzbekistan, Joseph Kabila - Democratic Republic of Congo, Hu Jintao - China. In another article, he speaks about the controversial fact that human rights education organized in schools through the OneWorld organization is supported by the US government, which is not afraid to severely breach human rights, and whose president approves of torture, such as waterboarding or electric shocks!
Another article that looks behind the scenes of OneWorld and criticizes its cooperation with the US organization National Endowment for Democracy is written by Daniel Vesely.

Brussels: New court to try Israel for war crimes - More Details - Controversial?

2008-03-10T23:24:00.001+01:00

Excerpts to add more about this news...

DemocraticUnderground.com writes (nick 'Scurrilous' in the discussion):
Arab MK to attend tribunal on 'IDF war crimes'

<snip>

"A conference of individuals and nongovernmental organizations is to convene in Brussels on Friday to discuss what organizers call "the crimes committed by the Israeli army in Lebanon." MK Said Nafa (Balad) plans to attend.

The conference has been promoted as "an international jury of conscience," and will take the form of a mock international court with prosecutors, witnesses and judges, organizers said in a statement.

No names of those planning to participate in the conference were made available by the organizers.

Speaking to The Jerusalem Post by phone from Belgium, Nafa said he was "invited as an observer to listen," and that he planned to raise the issues of the October 2000 riots in the Galilee (in which 12 Israeli Arabs and a Palestinian were killed) and home demolitions during the conference.

"The tribunal has no legal authority," Nafa said, but its "ruling" will be "declarative and aimed at influencing public opinion in the world. There's no doubt that the use of cluster bombs in Lebanon was a war crime, or at least a violation of the international conscience. Victims of the Lebanon war and of the siege on Gaza will testify at the tribunal, some who are experts on international law."

Israel's position would also be represented, Nafa said, but, "I don't know by whom."
The Knesset member said he decided to attend because of a decision by the Israeli-Arab leadership's Monitoring Committee to "turn to international tribunals" to circumvent Israeli courts. "Arab Israelis have no defense under Israeli national law," he said."

----------------
And on DemocraticUnderground.com there was also this reaction:

Its a phony court called International Citizens'Tribunal

Edited on Mon Feb-25-08 01:23 AM by Dick Dastardly

Its only purpose will be to try, and convict, Israel, over and over again. They are against the existence of Israel

An international citizen's tribunal on the crimes committed by the Israeli army in Lebanon
Brussels, 22-23-24 February 2008

Endorse the Tribunal!

An international citizen's tribunal on the crimes committed by the Israeli army in Lebanon will be held in Brussels, Belgium, on February 22-24, 2008. The International Action Center has endorsed this tribunal and the work of the Commitee of International Citizens that is organizing the tribunal. More information is below:

To contact the organizers: Email: contact.tribunal@yahoo.fr Blog: http://www.tciccg.over-blog.com

Proposal for setting up international citizen's tribunal on deeds committed by Israeli army & secret services in Lebanon & occupied Palestinian territories

JUSTICE FOR LEBANON! Feb. 22-24, 2008, Brussels Int'l Jury Schedule

The crimes committed by the Israeli army in Lebanon during the summer 2006 are a violent affront to the universal human conscience. These are criminal acts, as many people feel instinctively. They are different from the acts that take place in all armed conflict committed by the aggressor as well as by the aggressed. But feeling is not enough. The facts must be established. They must then be assessed in light of existing international law. This should be done with the detachment and rigor of a process that excludes any a priori conclusions, the results of which will convince all people of good will.

The international community is not an autonomous political and juridical body. It is but a summation of positions adopted by a certain number of governments. In many situations it has proved incapable of applying existing law by distancing itself from geopolitical or ideological contingencies. This impunity has covered up the numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity that have been committed since the end of World War II.

The unilateral attitude of the United States of America, like the double-speak of many European governments, make it necessary for those defending the law to take the place of failed political powers. The American administration is against any questioning of Israel’s role in acts committed in Lebanon. EU countries like Germany, Great Britain, Finland and France refuse to support a request formulated at the UN Human Rights Council to investigate the use by the Israeli armed forces of arms that are prohibited by international law. The systematic disinformation practiced by an overwhelming majority of the media deprives Western public opinion of balanced information. All this justifies an initiative by the citizens themselves.

A group of citizens gathering human rights or ecological activists, humanitarian workers, jurists, political scientists, all friends of Lebanon, enjoying the support of more than 300 opinion leaders all over the world, is planning to organize, in Brussels (Belgium), on 22-23-24 February 2008, the meeting of an “international jury of conscience”.

During the opening session, a statement of charge will introduce the process. It is based on a report issued by the Human Rights Committee of the Lebanese Parliament about the crimes committed by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF – official name of the Israeli armed forces) between 12 July and 14 August 2006 in Lebanon. The following sessions will give the opportunity to testify to Lebanese victims and survivors, to Lebanese and foreign witnesses, to Lebanese jurists, to representative of international human rights organizations. The Israeli side will have the possibility to present explanations. The jury, formed by prominent magistrates from the 5 continents, will present conclusions. On Saturday evening, a roundtable will give the floor to international experts on Lebanon.

Such an initiative requests funds. The organizing team has to buy flights tickets and to book hotel rooms for all the people coming from Lebanon but also for the 5 members of the jury. The renting of the rooms in the conference center and the fees for the translators have also to be paid. The total budget reaches 125.000 US dollars.

Feel free to support a citizen’s initiative that must take place due to the lack of concern by official sides.

Raoul Marc JENNAR & Leila GHANEM, co-organizers

Hosting Bank account : URFIG, Bruxelles, IBAN : BE60 0682 3497 7170; BIC : GKCCBEBB, with this message : “support to the International Jury of Conscience Lebanon”
http://www.iacenter.org/palestine/leb-trib-letter0208 /
http://www.iacenter.org/palestine/leb_jury-sched0208 /

The signatories
http://www.iacenter.org/palestine/Leb_tribunalcall-0208 /

More info
http://tciccg.over-blog.com/article-4596412-6.html
http://rtsf.wordpress.com/2008/02/06/56 /
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=52734
http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_26011.sht...
http://www.petitiononline.com/un040806/petition.html

A fake "international court" designed purely to vilify Israel
Misozionistic people, those who loathe the very idea of Israel existing in any form and spend uncounted hours coming up with ways to show their hate, have come up with a new idea:

"Let's set up an international tribunal whose only purpose will be to try, and convict, Israel, over and over again!"

Sounds silly? Think again

After much searching, I found the webpage of this group, in French.
http://tciccg.over-blog.com /

This group does not even have its own Internet domain, which means it might not even have $5 in support. It is on a blog site.

It calls itself the "Tribunal citoyen international contre les crimes de guerre au Moyen Orient", the "International Citizens' Tribunal on war crimes in the Middle East."

Its founder, Raoul Marc Jennar, makes no pretense of objectivity:

The doctrine that underpins the State of Israel was incompatible with international law.

Brussels: New court to try Israel for war crimes

2008-02-25T08:43:00.001+01:00

13:02 , 02.22.08

Civil court established by human rights organizations to begin operations in Belgium Friday. First issue on the agenda: Israel's alleged war crimes in Lebanon, Gaza

Full article on ynetnews.com.

UPDATE:
As there was no info in the official media, I searched more to see the credibility of this. Here are articles I found, quite controversial, without surprise:
Discussion about the ynetnews.com article.
Arab MK to attend tribunal on 'IDF war crimes'
A fake "international court" designed purely to vilify Israel
Basically this 'court' is an initiative of a group of citizens based in France, who call themselves "Tribunal citoyen international contre les crimes de guerre au Moyen Orient". (Info in English.)

Films You Will Not See At OneWorld Human Rights Festival

2008-02-24T16:05:00.000+01:00

In Prague, there is annually a film festival on Human Rights, now celebrating its 10th anniversary. As the festival's media campaign complies with the views and standpoints of the current political scene, it is no surprise that the advertisement for the festival, which this year concentrates on dictators, pinpoints some "world dictators" with notoriously over-presented Fidel Castro (Cuba), or other dictatorial leaders more or less known here, such as Aleksandr Lukashenko (Belarus), Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe), Kim Chong-il (Nort Korea) or Than Shwe (Burma).

Why this style of the advertisement...? Why not other dictators, countries, situations, politicians? Are human rights violated only in communist regimes? Are not human rights violated with the current "war on terror"?

Perhaps another festival can answer this - Human Rights Watch film festival, starting on 12 March 2008 in London? Or is the movie selection very similar?

The most interesting and concise (!) selection for me is, however, here, at a festival in Bellingham, Washington, US! The program comprises only of 15 films, but they seem inspirational enough! The two films below belong to their list, and they talk about Izrael and Palestine and the USA and the Iraq invasion... themes the other festivals fear to touch...?

Independent Intervention - Focusing on the human costs of war, media experts contrast corporate-controlled media coverage of the invasion of Iraq with independent media reports of the brutal realities on the ground. Features Amy Goodman and other alternative reporters.
(Trailer)

Occupation 101 - A comprehensive analysis of the facts and hidden truths surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which dispels many of its long-perceived myths and misconceptions.
(Full film!)

This film is not on the list of HR festivals, but equally informative on the above topic...
Peace and Propaganda: The Promised Land

Returns

2007-03-16T22:56:00.000+01:00

I am back in Prague from my 2.5 months in China, it took me up till now to come to terms with this fact... :) I thought not writing anything or not talking much about it would prolong my mental return to this 'old' place..
I really loved my last day and night in Beijing, on Saturday the 17th of February. Everyone in Tibet and China was celebrating the New Year. A flight from Lhasa on that day to Chengdu and to Beijing; it took almost the whole day. In each city a glimpse at the festivities and huge and never-ending fireworks. Beijing was near to dangerous when trying to walk some of the streets in the center.. And strangely, after a month of traveling around the country, the one night stay in the capital felt like coming home.
..As if writing meant forgetting or killing the memories one cherishes of special moments. I hope I am wrong!

Good Bye Beijing and Next Time...

2007-01-20T20:58:00.000+01:00

I am leaving Beijing today (train to Pingyao in a couple of hours), need to pack, check out...

I left the office on Friday to go to a New Year Party (celebration of Spring Festival that starts in mid Feb), quite an insightful view into local entertainment. My colleagues sang popular songs, danced, played instruments, played theater sketches and had talk shows... as I was told such kind of entertainment is very common and popular and kids get ready for this ever since they enter school.

..When I was visiting my Czech Beijing friends, they showed me a video piece from a university party that was exactly the same! (Ok, not the same but very similar, the difference was hip hop dancing whereas at 'my' party there was a film made by my colleagues; and of course different people.. )

My travels - quite a long list so I do not want to say I will go to all the places. Let's keep it easy and pleasant..

For my stay in Beijing, next time what I would change:
- I would rent an apartment for myself somewhere in the center.
..I no longer want to live in a hotel, after 6 weeks.
..2nd or 3rd ring would do, most preferably near Lama Temple.
- I would buy a bicycle.
..I thought it was quite cold now in winter; but apparently others cycle even in snow!
- I would work from home and go to the office once or twice a week.
..As almost everyone does it in my team in here.

So I am off for my 4 week holiday traveling in China. Wish me good luck.. :-)

China on Blisty

2007-01-20T20:51:00.000+01:00

An interesting set of articles on China on a Czech open internet daily called 'Blisty' started by Jan Culik, in Czech language only.

Curse of the Golden Flower

2007-01-20T20:29:00.000+01:00

This new Chinese blockbuster film nominated for Oscars has been discussed by almost everyone in Beijing. Critics differ in opinion; for foreigners it is hard to understand all nuances and the full background. Cinemas in Beijing (only multiplexes exist) are very expensive (around 80 yuan or more) and usually companies give employees free tickets, that's how most people get to see this film in the cinema... (In provinces it is much cheaper of course, and DVDs are just 8 yuan.. and, yes, of course this one is already available..) My colleague Lois took me to the cinema and whispered tiny details during the show. So helpful! Below follows background info for the film provided by another colleague, Annie, somewhere from the internet. Enjoy reading and the film!

This movie's rough storyline was based on Cao Yu's Thunderstorm. Cao Yu (1910-1996) is a renowned modern Chinese dramatist who is regarded as "the Shakespeare of China". If modern Chinese drama has come of age in the 1930s, then Cao Yu and his dramatic trilogy of Thunderstorm, Sunrise and The Wilderness are a hallmark of this maturity. Rich in implications and excellent in techniques, these dramatic works are regarded as the classics of modern Chinese drama. Just before graduation in 1933 when Cao Yu was only 23 years old, he finished his virgin play Thunderstorm, to be followed up by Sunrise (1936) and The Wilderness (1937).

Although the original Thunderstorm was set in a declining feudal-capitalistic family in the 30's of Chinese high society, the adaptation of the original storyline to the decadent Late Tang Dynasty setting is a job well-done. Indeed, moving the setting to the Forbidden Palace raises the intensity of tragedy and struggle exponetially, while naturally blending in stunning visuals and painstaking detailing of the historically accurate scenes of royal life.

After impacting audiences world wide with heart-breaking love stories (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and impeccable martial arts and grand courage of historical Heros, Director Zhang Yimou turned dark in Curse of the Golden Flower. The characters are more 3D and complicated, the desire runs deep--no love but lust; no vision for the common good but personal goals; no promise and no hope. The decadent palace, luscious flesh and gorgeous pure gold jewelry contrast the darkness of human reality--everyone is for their desire and the result is a monstrous machine called "the Empire". Every frame is a master piece oil painting. A haunting, heart-twisting master piece.

Below is a brief introduction for the drama Thunderstorm, which the film Curse of the Golden Flower used for reference:
*Thunderstorm, The*/(Leiyu,1934)/---Written by Cao Yu, this full-length modern drama features the complicated relationships among the members and servants of a large well-off family and the family disintegration as a result of the morbidity and corruption in old China. A son of a wealthy family, Zhou Puyuan, has an affair with the family maid, Shipping, and she bears two sons. After he marries a wealthy woman he keeps the eldest son and drives Shipping away with the youngest. Shipping marries a butler, Lu Gui, and they have a daughter , Sifeng. An entangled family history is played out in what turns out to be a tragic ending. The play was first premiered in the 1930s in Chongqing, but was later presented in Beijing in 1954 by the Beijing People's Art Theater and then staged in Shanghai in 1959 by the Shanghai People's Art Theater. It is in the repertoire of both Theaters. The play has been also adapted into a film with the same name twice, and performed as a ballet by the Shanghai Ballet Troupe in 1983. Playwright: Cao Yu; directors: Xia Chun (Beijing) and Wu Renzhi (Shanghai).

Czechs in Beijing

2007-01-20T19:53:00.000+01:00

Finally I met my first Czechs in Beijing :). It took quite a long time as the timing was so bad. Contact info received from Iveta and Martin in Ostrava, but it turned out that my colleagues also knew the very same people! It seems quite a small world out here.
Katerina, Lukas, Lada and Stepan all live and work in Beijing, mainly teaching English. Length of current stay from 5 months to 3-4 years. They speak Chinese pretty well!

After 6 weeks it was my first chance to speak my language and just to chat about various things, mainly China, likes and dislikes (Lada had her day... :) ), plans for my trip.., but also about Olomouc department of English studies (Paul Whittaker), Culik in Glasgow and his classes of journalism, Katerina's writing about China to Pravo newspaper (she's a journalist), about living in Brno, Ostrava, Prague, future plans and travels etc. Just a feel of home and of the 'old days when I was around 27, 28' as these 'kids' are... ;) Kidding.. :)

I wish I could have met them all earlier, not the last night in Beijing... but at least I did! Thanks to all and greetings! :)

There are about 70 Czechs in Beijing in total.. most probably. Mainly around the embassy. There is a bigger community in Shanghai having quite regular get togethers.

I am 33

2007-01-20T04:54:00.000+01:00

On 1st February.

I went on a shopping spree with my colleague Lois last week and I bought presents for myself - 3 pairs of earrings. :) Yes, a very girlish thing.. but I could not resists it. And it is my birthday!

Questions whether I am old?

According to a Beijing friend, yes, very old. And I have nothing.. no flat, no husband, no child. So viewed from this angle.. I am doing something wrong... and given the Chinese attitude towards women - if they are over 30 and still not married... they are thought to have little chance.. (I suppose it is similar in Europe, even though it is not so much discussed.) Many Chinese girls and women have a new year resolution to get married. Even though they do not go out with anybody now, but just get married! This attitude might be changing with professional life and working in cities... but.. For me personally I do not judge others by age.. And I hate such pressure in society towards marriage as everyone has their own time in their life and some things are meant to be done, some not.. now or later.. I know I am changing with my age (and these last months my attitudes to many things have been changing quite rapidly.. and preferences.. and what I want to do 'in my life' and with it.. but..) I know I want to live with someone I love no matter what. And be surrounded by friends.

Oldest Chinese Coins

2007-01-18T22:04:00.000+01:00

There is a numismatics museum near Jishuitan metro station (or subway as everyone calls the metro here). It was not planned to go there, I just got on the wrong bus and did not feel like getting off when I found out. The museum is very small but equally interesting; it is placed near a big tower that promises grand displays on several floors with stunning views; but in fact there are only a few display rooms near the very entrance and the tower itself is pretty abandoned and strange, giving me feeling that it must have been a place for parties of party members... (a terrace with many rain washed plastic chairs scattered around a bar.. etc.).

Also currency:

And more:

Bells and the Biggest One

2007-01-18T21:40:00.001+01:00

Great Bell Temple in Beijing hosts the largest bell in China, 6.75 in height. It displays many other bells collected from all over China. There is a lady who will play popular tunes on various bells (also bells made of square stone), she even played a Czech song (I immediately forgot the tune because she went on to play Jingle Bells and it completely washed away my memory of the Czech tune.. whatever I did to suggest to her to play the previous tune again, she would not understand..).

For bell lovers, this is the ideal place to be. Pity there was not much commentary in English or an English guide. I would have loved that.

Details.. Need a dictionary for this one..

City Views

2007-01-18T21:27:00.000+01:00

This is my most favorite one...

..View from the Drum Tower. A place I have visited twice so far and I still feel attracted to it due to its views of BJ heading south to the Jingshan Park and Forbidden City. Magic.

The neighboring Bell Tower.

Bell Tower as seen from Drum Tower - heading north.

Western view overlooking hutongs.

"No Time, No Post"

2007-01-18T18:14:00.000+01:00

..True. You can find such a statement on this blog which I like very much. The blogger is a Czech guy that I found through looking at other bloggers' profiles - we match the film 'Crying Game'. I like his writings, his style and his admirable scope of interests. His previous blog is in Czech. And yes.., he's a journalist.

Kung Fu Monk

2007-01-11T20:17:00.000+01:00

Another documentary on National Geographic Asia (yes, there was time when I watched TV quite often.., this one I watched on 31 Dec as my own private celebration of the New Years Eve).

This was about a Kung Fu master. His beginnings - he came to the Shaolin Temple at the age of 5, he was from a rural poor family. One of the best students, he was the first one to leave Shaolin and China. In 1992 the Shaolin monks went on their first US tour, and he used this opportunity to defect. He was granted asylum and he stayed in New York. China lost their Shaolin superstar.

Jim Jarmush spoke in the documentary on the connection between blacks and Shaolin movies influence - these movies would be played only on the city outskirts - blacks would identify with them also because of this outsider aspect.

...I might be going to the Shaolin Temple in China.. what I heard of it is: the worst Chinese experience, dirty, kung fu classes are just drill, the kung fu master is just after money driving his BMW... So not much good reference.. but to be seen. From what I have read, many rural kids still flood the school as this might be one of the few opportunities for them to do something with their lives.

Inside the Forbidden City

2007-01-11T20:16:00.000+01:00

There was a program on National Geographic Asia from the "Inside.." series called Inside the Forbidden City.

It was telling the history of this emperor and government seat of China. So just a few notes scribbled down.. I was lucky to see the documentary as I saw more from the F.C. in the film than in the actual place itself. The main halls are undergoing reconstruction now and they are closed to public until the Olympics. It would be worth it to get the documentary on DVD, so beautifully done and insightful.

Hall of Supreme Harmony - there are Golden Bricks - they are unique because they survive the test of time. It took 2 years to create them and they are hundreds of years old without the need to restore them at all. They are made of clay in a very special and laborious way; and because of this highly demanding process of manufacturing, they were as expensive as gold, therefore they were called golden bricks.

Restoration of Forbidden City is undergoing, an international team is working on it right now. 8 million visitors a year in F.C. Built in 1407-20. Legend has it that there are 9999 rooms. Seat of government and sacred place. Emperor's seat. It is the navel of the world.

Before there was Genghis Khan's palace - this was destroyed in order to build the new palace. 14 years of construction, 1000 buildings, over 10000 rooms. Home of 24 emperors, seat of government, heart of civilization. "City within a city." It is "an ultimate mystery destination". Largest wooden complex in the world. On the UN list of World Heritage sights. Mandarins - 9 ranks, distinguished by hats and embroided animals on their clothes.

Wood - for the Hall of Supreme Harmony: 100,000 logs. Pillars (= single tree) - it took 4 years to get the logs from the South to the North by river - only during monsoon rain season.

Emperor's dragons- they are different/special - 5 claws. Dragons bring water (rain).

Stone stairs to the Hall of Supreme Harmony. A big stone, it took 28 days to move this stone to BJ - on ice. They would be able to move it in winter only - dig a path on the road and pour water on it to get ice - pull the stone on it. (A very common method in that time.)

Eunuchs - in 1912 the emperor had 1,500 eunuchs. China - first country of meritocracy. Chinese government based on literacy. 1861-1908 - Xuxi: she was a concubine that gave the only son to the emperor; a disaster for China - she spent lots of money. 1924 the emperor was expelled from the F.C.

Another Incredible Weekend

2007-01-11T20:05:00.000+01:00

On Saturday and Sunday 5 and 6 January I went to quite many places..

Ruins of the Old Summer Palace (Ruins of Yuanmingyuan) - really ruins; 1860 is the unhappy year for all places of any historical value in Beijing due to the French-Anglo attack. Very few monuments survived.. Temple of Heaven - splendid; completely renovated though..; large park around it; so majestic.

Xi Hai, Hou Hai and Qian Hai - lakes just before the 2nd ring; with the Former Residence of Soong Ching Ling (wife of Sun Yat-sen); Drum and Bell Tower making axis with Forbidden City and offering an astonishing bird eye view of Beijing; Bei Hai Park with the White Pagoda.. such a big park with a big lake.. so much to see..

Old streets, hutongs, magnificent architecture, insight into the structure of the city with astronomical meaning behind it; history of the towers - announcing time - 7pm-5am curfew; gates closed and no one would be allowed into the city. First stroke drums then bells. Time was counted every two hours.

Wang Yan

2007-01-11T20:01:00.000+01:00

I met Wang on a bus to Fragrant Hill on Tuesday 2 January. Freezing day, round 11 am. Both of us heading in the same direction with the same goal; I got on the bus and sat down just behind her not knowing that within 30 mins we would be walking up the hill together and chatting about various things almost like old friends.

My camera was broken so Wang took charge of all the photos. Oh, how she likes being in the photos (unlike me!). But we took turns taking pictures... so I could not escape being on the photo as well (a strange feeling).

Another weekend she took me to more places in Beijing (Old Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Wangfujing Dajie - a commercial street in the very center with lots of shops but also with small streets with souvenirs, street food and opera singing). A great and very friendly companion with a heart and lots of smiles; born in Hunan province where the Chairman was born.

At Fragrant Hill, in a house where Mao spent some time

Asian Games 2006 in Doha, Qatar

2007-01-04T14:23:00.000+01:00

In December 2006, the 15th Asian Games took place in Doha, Qatar.

It was the second largest multi-sport event and third largest sporting event in the world, behind the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup.
QATAR (in the Gulf of Arabia) was -- until the discovery of huge reserves of oil and natural gas -- a cluster of small fishing and pearling villages. It's population is about 800,000, so the crowds were unlikely to be huge for the 424 events in 39 sports taking place over the 16 days of the Games. It was the largest sporting event ever held in the Middle East. Qatar is going to bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Billiards was just one of the non-Olympic sports featuring in the Games with kabaddi, wushu, karate, equestrian endurance racing and sepaktakraw giving a distinctly Asian flavour to the continental event.

China won the most medals followed by Japan and South Korea.

Links:
Doha Asian Games
Doha 2006 Official website
Asian Games history:
DELHI 1951 (India)
MANILA 1954 (Philippines)
TOKYO 1958 (Japan)
JAKARTA 1962 (Indonesia)
BANGKOK 1966 (Thailand)
BANGKOK 1970 (Thailand)
TEHRAN 1974 (Iran)
BANGKOK 1978 (Thailand)
- For the eighth consecutive Games, Japan topped the medals table.
NEW DELHI 1982 (India)
- China toppled Japan, winning four more gold medals than the Japanese.
SEOUL 1986 (1988 Seoul Olympics) (South Korea)
BEIJING 1990 (China)
HIROSHIMA 1994 (Japan)
BANGKOK 1998 (Thailand)
PUSAN 2002 (South Korea)
DOHA 2006 (Qatar)

Chinese Media (Hotel View)

2007-01-04T13:48:00.000+01:00

TV
- More than 60 programs (!) available in the hotel to watch.
- State television: CCTV (Chinese Central Television) - 16 programs (!).
- Many other televisions/programs from provinces (i.e. around 40-50 or perhaps even more).
- All of them showing mainly entertainment/educational programs.
- Was it not for the language and faces, the programs would be unrecognizable from any other TV in Europe by their look (modern design, bright lights, fashionable clothes, everyone looks smart and happy, ..only sometimes angry when it comes to solving social issues, but decently moderate).

TV in English
HBO Asia (with Chinese subtitles)
National Geographic Asia (with Chinese subtitles)
CNN
CCTV9 (Chinese state television English channel)

- HBO/NG are preselected for the country's audience, there are no controversial films/documentaries shown, of course. HBO/NG/CNN can be viewed only via cable which for local people requires special permission (hard to get as I was told).
- CCTV9 is a very ambitious and I would say successful project to inform foreigners about world and local news through the official eyes, but still in a very interesting way for someone completely new to the country. It offers news, discussions, documentaries, special series etc. The English of all presenters and reporters is simply excellent, cream of the cream. This is my most favorite news TV station in Beijing, it is not as aggressive as CNN which contains so much advertising and clip reporting. CCTV9 is available to everyone in China.
More: HBO films to air in China

Internet
In the hotel, I cannot access:
wikipedia
google video
many other pages undownloadable
BBC, RFI, B92 etc. take far too long to download and I give up..

Radio
I have not explored this yet as I found only about 1 English radio station that did not appeal to me. Others are in Chinese.

China Super Girls

2007-01-04T13:35:00.000+01:00

Simply Super Girls...

chinadaily.com.cn - 29 Dec 2006

2006-12-30T11:59:00.000+01:00

Press excerpts

Opening China: Changed Regulations on Foreign Media

Foreign journalists 'welcome in China'
New regulations for foreign media may be prolonged

As of December 1, 2006, foreign journalists in China may interview anybody with the consent of the interviewee only - the scope is not only sports but also politics, the economy, society and other fields. The new rules expire on October 17, 2008 (after the Olympics) but might be extended. They replace restrictions that have been in place from 1990 (when Regulations on the Supervision of Foreign Journalists and Resident Foreign News Organs were issued).

There are currently 606 resident journalists from 319 foreign news organizations of 49 countries working in China. About 3,000 to 5,000 foreign journalists visit China each year.

"I'd very much like to go to rural areas in China because
farmers' issues are the biggest challenge for China."
Joanna Brent, spokeswoman of the WHO China Office

Nouveau Rich Undermining Family Planning

Are the rich challenging family planning policy?
China adheres to family planning policy: premier

According to the family planning introduced in the 1980s:
- An urban couple can have a second child, if both husband and wife are the only children.
- Farmers can have a second if their first child is a girl.
This regulation helped Asia's biggest economy reduce its population by 300 million.

- Those who have second children are fined, but for the rich, the fines are more than affordable:
A shoe factory boss who has a net value of 14 million yuan had to pay some 60,000 yuan (US7, 500$) in fines for his second child, Web portal sohu.com reported.
- Returned overseas Chinese can have the second child.
- For Shanghai's emerging bourgeois, it's popular for the mothers to give birth to their second children in foreign countries, thereby securing a visa for them.
- Gender identification for non-medical purposes will be severely punished and policies advocating the rights of girls and women as well as gender equality and birth control will be carried out.
- Countryside is the priority and the most difficult task of family planning, where maintaining a low birth rate is crucial.
- Family planning among migrant workers needs to be strengthened as well.

chinadaily.com.cn - 29 Dec 2006

2006-12-29T07:52:00.000+01:00

Press excerpts

Death Sentences in China

Top court reviews all death sentences
The Supreme People's Court will now take a closer look at death sentences passed by the local courts. From January 1, it will review all death sentences in the country.
Each case will be reviewed by a team of three judges. They will be required to check the facts, laws applied and criminal procedures adopted.
Courts at all levels must exercise extreme caution when passing the death sentence, and the penalty should be reserved for only an "extremely small number" of serious offenders.

Nie Shubin, a young farmer in North China's Hebei Province, was executed in 1995 after being convicted of raping and murdering a local woman. But early last year, a rape and murder suspect arrested by police confessed he had committed the crime.

Shaanxi 'Temple Killer' loses appeal, executed
Qiu Xinghua was executed with a single gunshot near a river in Ankang, Shaanxi Province. The court found that Qiu killed 10 people in a temple near his home, because he thought one of the victims flirted with his wife which was found to be not true. However, lawyers and scholars have voiced doubts about Qiu's mental state.
Some experts believe that Qiu was clear-minded while committing the crimes. Li Meijin, a psychology professor at the Chinese People's Public Security University, said Qiu filled in a psychological questionnaire which showed he was in control of his faculties.

Gang members sentenced in Loudi
Seven of the 97-member gang, which committed crimes as murder, gambling, blackmailing and drug trafficking from 1990 to 2003, were sentenced to death, four to suspended death, and seven to life imprisonment.
----------

China issues white paper on national defense
- China pursues a national defense policy which is purely defensive in nature.
- Its strategic task is to build a powerful and fortified national defense, to build informationized armed forces being capable of winning informationized wars by the mid-21st century.

chinadaily.com.cn - 26 Dec 2006

2006-12-27T05:27:00.000+01:00

Press excerpts

Rich-poor divide serious, study finds

..Today in China, rich people, accounting for 10 per cent of the population, control 45 per cent of the total social fortune, and poor people, also 10 per cent of the population, only control 1.4 per cent..

..There are 130 million poor people in China, most earning less than US$1 a day..

..While the white collars in Beijing are planning a New Year trip to Hong Kong or Thailand, many others are trying to scrimp and save and worrying about increasing costs in medical care and food.

..A good educational background and knowledge were not the decisive factors in gaining wealth..

Blue book: Medical costs China's top social concern

..Medical expenses had risen to 11.8 percent of household consumption in China, surpassing expenditure on education and transportation.

..Most rural dwellers have no medical insurance.

..One third of poor rural patients in China choose not to go to hospital and 45 percent of the hospitalized farmers ask to be discharged before they have recovered.

..Unemployment was the second major concern, followed by the wealth gap, corruption, pensions, educational charges, housing prices, public security, social values, and pollution, according to the blue book.

..83.4 percent believe the social problems are temporary and 91.6 percent believe the Communist Party of China and the government are able to deal with the problems satisfactorily.

Subsidy net to cover all rural poor

..The rural poor are the most vulnerable segment of the population that must be taken care of in the country's drive to build a 'harmonious society..

..In particular, the allowances would help those who have lost their farmlands to development projects..

..The amount of allowance for each person will not be large, since there are many in need..

Social safety top concern of urbanites

..Social security has edged out employment to become the top concern of residents in urban China where a record number of jobs were created this year..

Unified 25% corporate tax proposed

..After enjoying favourable tax policies for decades, overseas companies may have to pay the same as their Chinese counterparts a unified corporate income tax of 25 per cent.

Happy End of 2006!

2006-12-26T13:20:00.000+01:00

Unexpectedly, I spent quite Christmas like last few days.

On Friday, there was the invitation of a manager to her house to celebrate with her employees, colleagues, husband, an American colleague and me the Western style Christmas. There was the tree, home made delicious food, and presents. Thanks Fang!! :)

On Saturday, my office mate Carter and his wife took me for a trip to the Great Wall (Badaling) and Ming Tombs (Dingling). It was freezing, but still sunny; the wall was quite crowded, the tombs empty, but the tomb museum was very interesting and the history related to that including the Cultural Revolution consequences equally insightful (during that period, the original tombs were thrown away with all its remnants to be used by farmers most probably as lavatories.. a sad end for emperor's tombs).

The area of the tombs looks like a very badly kept park for weekend amusement for families, ..many of the gates no longer exist, however it still draws many visitors like me. The place is set in a beautiful countryside with views of nearby mountains and fields, the right place for emperors to be buried. Out of 16 Ming emperors, 13 were buried in the area. Dingling is the only Ming tomb excavated up till now, the works started in 1956 and finished two years later.

On Sunday the day was spent in a beautiful Lama Temple full of peaceful atmosphere with people burning incense as an offering to Buddha. There is the Guiness Book of World Records listed Maitreya Buddha made of one piece of sandal wood 18 meters high. There is also a statue of Congkhapa who was the founder of yellow hats in the 15th century, ..and many other preserved statues, but mainly the place is full of live because of the pilgrim visitors.

In the afternoon I was lucky to get in touch with some friends (thanks Jan for getting me in touch with Regis) who took me to antiques market where they were looking for items for their house/appartment. (The photo above is from there.) The storage place was quite big and full of old statues, furniture of various quality, price, allure, and stubborn sellers who did not want to reduce the price. Finally everyone was happy, all of my 3 friends bought something (kitchen table, wooden Buddha, big stelae with Chinese inscriptions)!

There was a dinner organized by the local French community in a small and friendly restaurant in the center of Beijing, to which I was invited by these friends. Many people turned up, about 25, from all 'walks of life' - French/English teachers, professionals, travelers, students of Chinese and Chinese culture and politics.

Katarina, a Quebecoise, who had a good knowledge of Russia and has traveled to Bohemia, asked me about the origin of word 'Vanoce'; we divined that 'noce' comes from night but I could not find any explanation for the preceding 'va'. So here it is, according to internet: it might come from the German "Weihnachten" originating from the pagan festivities of winter solstice - on sacred nights - "zu den wîhen nahten", so the Czech version might have kept the first part and translate the latter one..

Winter solstice (shortest day or longest night in year) now fell on 22 December, and in China, people celebrate this with having dumplings for dinner. Enjoy!

..Children playing at the antiques market

Summer Palace (1750)

2006-12-17T17:13:00.000+01:00

It is quite near to my hotel and I headed there on Sunday morning. It was quite cold, however the place was crowded mainly by Chinese tourists.

I found a spot with elderly people practicing Tai Chi, it looked impressive to see fluent movements full of strength and power, intensified by the place of an old pavilion overlooking the lake. I was told that people usually practice Tai Chi in parks round 6 am, and I might find a teacher or a class in a university (there is the Peking University nearby).

I was going with the AudioGuide (recorded description of significant places being played automatically when you approach such a location) equipped with my camera, and I just fell victim to taking pictures for most of the time. The place is very big and requires fast walking if one wants to see everything..

It is on the outskirts of the inner Beijing, the Longevity Hill can be seen from distance and it promises a different, almost out-of-the-city day with views of the lake, and mountains and a pagoda in the near distance.

The whole complex is renovated (some spots rebuilt in the 1990s, renovation is still undergoing for 2008) and at times one has to imagine the spirit of history there..

It was severely destroyed in the war of 1860 (which is always mentioned on the info panel near each site), now on the list of UNESCO World Heritage (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/880).

Detailed info / photos on web, e.g.:
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/beijing/summer/index.htm
http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/beijing/summerpalaceindex.htm

Hutong Cafe at the Mouth of Tiananmen Square at Night

2006-12-17T16:39:00.000+01:00

..Completely different atmosphere than in the modern city. Small streets, dark corners and whole areas unlit, I was walking there on Sunday evening, it was the first night of my stay it was really freezing.

Strange atmosphere, other passers-by were also bitterly cold, silent, rushing to their place; no one was bothering to stop me with touristic things. I walked it for about an hour then ended up in a small cafe in its heart, selected a meal (vegetables and some meat which turned out to be almost inedible for me.. but I chose it so I was struggling with it for a while before giving up). The locals were apparently enjoying their meal - slices of thick bacon, fat skin and chops of pig tail etc. :)

As I looked quite frozen, the guys at the next table offered me almost immediately something like Slivovice to pour into my fruit juice... and they were quite friendly, me being the only stranger in the cafe. They also offered me their meat.. which I could not refuse.., so for the first time I was trying out pig tail.. just a tiny bit.. :)

We started communicating -- me in Czech, them in Chinese, this whole story ended up translating from Russian by a guy who joined us and who lived in Russia for some time in the 80s. So just sitting with a couple of locals on a freezing night in a hutong in the heart of Beijing...

Hutongs - narrow streets typical for Beijing still about 20-30 years ago. Now they disappear very fast due to the construction megalomania embracing the highly ambitious and awaited year 2008.

People...

2006-12-14T19:58:00.000+01:00

All days I have spent in the office so far. So here are faces of my closest colleagues:

The girls.. :)
..Aileen, Joy, Lois, Evi, Jane and Ellen..

..and the guys :)
..Johnson, Carter, Paul and Aaron.

They laugh all the time, speak very fast and mainly Chinese, and are very friendly, helpful and busy (to leave the office on time :)). We all went for a lunch today to a nearby restaurant. The food was delicious!

Office View in Beijing

2006-12-14T19:43:00.000+01:00

I go to work by taxi (14 yuan) or by bus no. 307 (1 yuan) and it takes about 20 minutes depending on the traffic. I am working in a large office park like there are many around the world..

Apartment....

2006-12-14T19:35:00.000+01:00

For 6 weeks, I will be living in this hotel apartment, 60 sq meters with kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom. Nice. (More pictures later..)