Drive-by Planet

Siberia: toys and dolls stage Russian mini-demo

2012-01-27T02:04:00.000-08:00

Russians unhappy with rigged elections and the prospect of the return of Tsar Vlad don't always have it easy making their objections known, especially if they happen to live in the Siberian city of Barnaul.

Would-be protestors had to become resourceful when a protest was broken up and requests to hold a sanctioned demo repeatedly turned down by local authorities. Rather than defy the ban in person locals decided to use toys and stuffed animals as stand-ins - an event they dubbed a "nano demonstration."

Lego figurines, teddy bears, stuffed rabbits and monkeys, toy sheep and horses took up the cause. An army of mini protestors, all immune to frostbite, had no problem standing in the snow alongside miniature protest signs. The messages got straight to the point: "I'm for clean elections"... "A thief should sit in jail, not the Kremlin"... "Putin: don't confuse the peoples' interests with your own interests."

A graduate student behind the toy demo, Lyudmila Alexandrova said "The authorities' attempt to limit citizens' rights to express their position has become absurd..."

Russians are very resourceful when it comes to challenging the authorities. The art collective Voina has staged a number of headline making events in order to get their message out. Everything from staged hangings to painting a 65-meter-phallus on a bridge in St Petersburg.

The toy demo in Barnaul hasn't fared any better than the human ones. Cops tried pressuring those involved to take their little furry friends home... took photos of the toys and wrote down the messages on the signs. They also warned that the event was illegal since the demo area hadn't been rented from city authorities.

Despite the novelty aspect to the Barnaul protest, the message is deadly serious. There is a lot of anger in Russia over an election that was clearly rigged in favor of Putin's United Russia party aka "the party of crooks and thieves."

Stalin once said that it is the counting rather than the voting that matters. The maxim still seems to hold true. Exit polling indicated United Russia had won less than 30% of the vote. But after a long wait, the result came in at 46.5%.

Other irregularities include astounding turnouts in some regions that appeared to exceed 140%. In Chechnya United Russia pulled off a miraculous 99.5%.

If toys can get out the message about the vote rigging and contempt for democracy that is stalling progressive reform in Russia, more power to them.

More from Radio Free Europe

A photo gallery of the toy demo from The Guardian.

Al Jazeera video discusses the Russian election and rigging allegations:

CasaPound: Ezra Pound's daughter defends fascist papa

2012-01-23T23:34:00.000-08:00

Top: Ezra Pound/Mary de Rachewiltz

The daughter of the American poet, Ezra Pound, is demanding that the Italian extremist organization CasaPound stop using her father's name.

Mary de Rachewiltz was spurred to take legal action by the Christmas killing of two Senegalese traders in Florence. The perpetrator, Gianluca Casseri - who committed suicide following the killings - was known to have ties with CasaPound.

Casseri

Ms Rachewiltz takes exception to what she describes as a "politically compromised organization" using the name of Pound. Hardly surprising CasaPound found the poet so inspirational. Her equally "compromised" father was a fascist supporter in WW2 - and a very vocal one.

Ezra Pound was a highly accomplished poet, but his reputation has been marred by his fascism and the virulent anti-Jewish views that can be found in his poetry, writings and polemics. What is odd about Pound is the stark contrast between the disciplined use-of-language in his poetry and the fascist shill who at times came off like the worst type of soap box demagogue.

The poet Charles Olson had an interesting take on Pound - "Pound and his kind want to ignore [the masses]. They try to lock them out. But they swarm at the windows in such numbers they block out the light and the air. And in their little place Pound and his kind suffocate, their fear turns to hate. And their hate breeds death. They want to kill. And, organized by Hitler and Mussolini, they do kill--millions."

Pound's broadcasts on Italian radio during WW2 included frequent attacks on Jews. During the same period he wrote for Italian newspapers - apparently he needed the coin. One piece had the title The Jews, Disease Incarnate. His pro-fascist writings also showed up in Action, a newspaper put out by British fascist leader Oswald Mosley. On its pages he stated his bizarre belief that the Third Reich was "the natural civilizer of Russia."

Associates were made aware of his loyalties. In a letter to the publisher James Laughlin, he wrote that Roosevelt represented Jewry in America and signed off with "Heil Hitler."

Even on the day of Germany's surrender, Pound had high words of praise for Hitler. On May 8, 1945, he told a reporter from the Philadelphia Record that Hitler was "a Jeanne d'Arc, a saint."

He was arrested by American troops and transferred to the US Disciplinary Training Center north of Pisa. There he was consigned to a six-by-six outdoor steel cage or "death cell" for three weeks. The experience contributed to a mental breakdown.

The steel cages in Pisa.

On his return to the US Pound was charged with treason. He was judged to be mentally ill and confined in St Elizabeth's hospital in Washington D.C. Following his release from the hospital in 1958, he returned to Italy where he died in 1972.

Given Ezra Pound's very public fascist allegiances and extensive connections with Italy, it's little surprise that a new breed of extremist in that country identifies with him. While it's entirely understandable that Mary de Rachewiltz has reacted to the Florence killings with concern about the appropriation of the Pound name, her late father supported an ideology that was responsible not for the death of two, but for the death of millions.

Beneath is an Ezra Pound radio recording from the 40's. The audio quality is poor but it provides an insight into his views of World War 2.

Not my dad!

2012-01-23T23:30:00.000-08:00

Breivik's manifesto 2083 to be adapted for stage by Cafe Teatret

2012-01-21T21:49:00.000-08:00

The manifesto of Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik is headed for a dramatic makeover. The artistic director of the Copenhagen based Cafe Teatret, Christian Lollike, has plans to adapt the 1,500 page manifesto for the stage.

Lollike said that the views espoused by Breivik aren't unique and that it's possible a similar type of tragedy could happen again. He believes it is important to understand where Breivik was coming from - "What I'm afraid of is that Breivik's way of thinking will be left alone and will not be probed and reflected on..."

Christian Lollike

A cynical view might be that the project is an attempt to exploit Breivik's infamy. That certainly seems to be the view of Erik Ulfsby, director of The Norwegian Theatre. He called Lollike's rationale "a bad excuse to draw attention to his project."

Per Balch Soerensen, the father of one of those murdered by Breivik said the play - Manifesto 2083 - is an "acceptance of his (Breivik's) acts."

Lollike is right about one thing - it is important to examin Breivik's ideas. It is important to look beyond the manifesto as Breivik's "creation" to the sources, connections and individuals that helped inspire and motivate him. He may have acted alone, but he was heavily influenced by the "crusading" conspiracy theorists who, however inadvertently, helped place a metaphorical gun in his hand. There was nothing spontaneous about Breivik's actions, the massacre was preceded by meticulous planning and extensive online communications.

A Guardian article titled Anders Breivik's spider web of hate includes maps that show the web pages Breivik linked to and the ways in which those pages link back to Breivik's manifesto:

More Breivik mind maps from the Guardian here.

Breivik's manifesto is heavily derivative with borrowings from some of the better known online "defenders of the gates." Names that come up include the pseudonymous Fjordman and Jihad Watch's Robert Spence. Breivik also seemed impressed with a site called Gates of Vienna run by American Edward May. Other pundits mentioned include Daniel Pipes, Mark Steyn and Melanie Phillips.

In common with a lot of right wing alarmists Breivik blames the "downfall" of Western culture on "cultural Marxists" and "multiculturalism." His obsessions are tediously predictable - vikings, Templars, crusaders... all the epic stuff that fed into his sense of being white, Christian and superior. He says at one point "I am very proud of my Viking heritage. My name, Breivik, is a place name from Northern Norway, dating back to before the Viking era..."

It's the type of mono-minded writing of the cut-and-paste variety that seems eerily familiar. Some pundits have noted a similarity in style between Breivik's manifesto and jihadist instruction manuals.

Some on the right argue that Breivik was a madman and that calling him an "Islamophobe" shouldn't really apply because he went after his "neighbors" and no mosque was targeted. The need to believe that since Breivik was deranged those who he cites as authorities are somehow absolved of any taint of association, however tangential, is understandable. These pundits are keen to put as much mileage between themselves and the atrocity as possible. Labeling Breivik as unhinged is one way of doing that. Unfortunately for them, twisted though Breivik's thinking may be a recent diagnosis determined that he is not insane.

UK Independent:

Psychiatrists who are monitoring Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik say that he is not psychotic, contradicting an earlier diagnosis by experts.

A court filing by the public prosecutor said four experts at Ila Prison in Oslo had not observed any signs that Breivik was insane.

It was also revealed that he was not receiving any medication and the prison had not seen any need to move him to another facility.

His manifesto although derivative was carefully crafted, even compelling reading in parts. A crusader on a mission and it's clear where he drew his inspiration from.

One way to do a dramatic reworking of the manifesto would be to get behind the crusader's mask and justifications to expose the web of hate-driven thinking that was a prime motivator. A theatrical adaptation of Breivik's manifesto just might succeed in doing that. Whether Cafe Teatret's monologue, Manifesto 2083, will come even close is another question.

Loomit and year of 'Germany in India'

2012-01-20T20:52:00.001-08:00

The German graffiti artist Mathias Koehler aka Loomit has been working in India under the aegis of the year of "Germany in India". Graffiti artists Zebster, Tasso and Wok have also been involved with the project.

Here's part of the statement put out by Infinite Opportunities that describes some of the aims of "Germany and India 2011-2012":

Eligible projects have to be in accordance with the overall theme and focus of “Germany and India 2011-2012: Infinite Opportunities”. The project should be relevant to both Germany and India and fall under the thematic focus of “StadtRäume — CitySpaces”, which addresses relevant transformation processes in India and the various challenges regarding rapid urban development.

Later this month the German Film Orchestra will perform works by the Indian composer A.R. Rahman aka "the Mozart of Madras". In another much anticipated event the legendary German football club Bayern Munich took on team India at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.

Loomit has been working in Delhi. One of his projects took him to the Malviya Nagar area. Below are some examples of Loomit's work in India.

Loomit in Delhi

Check out the video beneath of a collaborative musical event featuring German percussionist and drummer Christoph Haberer and Indian percussionist Sivamani.

Read more about Germany in India 2011-2012 here.

Rick Perry's misguided 'Islamic terrorist' spin re Turkey

2012-01-18T17:31:00.000-08:00

As though we need any more proof that American politics on the right risks a descent into unhinged nuttiness, up steps Rick Perry with his wisdom on Turkey.

Perry has had a few challenges in the course of the Republican race. A candidate touted as a top gun in the right's campaign against Barrack Obama has revealed himself over time to be a few bullets short of a full round.

Most recently Perry suggested that Turkey is run by Islamic terrorists. He made this astonishing remark during a Republican candidates' debate while attempting to drive home a point about honor killings in Turkey.

That wasn't his only outlandish claim. During a TV interview he told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that Turkey received $11 billion in aid in the last few years. This is incorrect unless Perry's "few years" covers the time span between now and the 1940's. Since 2009 Turkey has received $21 million in military and security assistance.

Turkey is a long standing NATO ally. Just recently a NATO early-warning radar system - part of the missile defense system in Europe - was set up in Turkey. The White House stated in response to Perry's remarks, Turkey is "on the front line in the war against terrorism."

Syria's Bashar al-Assad who is viewed by many on the right as a backer of "Islamic terrorism" has been roundly criticized by Turkish authorities for attacking his own citizens. Turkey went as far as slapping sanctions against Damascus last month. PM Erdogan has called for al-Assad to step down.

So-called "honor" killings happen in many countries, not just Turkey. They happen here in Canada, in the UK. They happen in the USA. They happen in Sweden, in Denmark, in the Netherlands. It is a mistake to use it as an excuse to tar Turkey - and by extension Islam - with the "extremist" brush because at root it is a product of patriarchal cultural norms that run deep in more traditional societies. Many imams have openly condemned the practice.

In reaction to a current case in Canada involving an Afghan man who is on trial for the murder of his three daughters and first wife, dozens of Canadian imams spoke out to condemn "honor" violence. Ottawa-based imam Samy Metwally told the Ottawa Citizen “What’s called honour killing is not part of Islamic teaching or tradition, and in fact there is no honour in this killing at all...” He spoke with the newspaper on the day of the "call to action" when imams across Canada delivered sermons expressing their opposition to the practice.

Violence in Turkey towards women and gays in the name of misguided honor is a problem. On this blog I wrote about the background to the killing of a gay Turkish man named Ahmet Yildiz. Crimes against women and homosexuals that in the past remained hushed up in Turkey are increasingly being exposed. This is one reason we are seeing an increase in related stats and hearing more about such incidents in the media. A good thing, because an important step in tackling such abuses is to force them into the light of day.

When a 19-year old named Ceylan Sosyal was killed by her brother with family connivance because she married without her parent's approval - six members of the family were taken into custody. Turkey is showing signs of getting to grips with a problem that PM Erdogan has described as “a longstanding bleeding wound of the society.”

Writing in The Guardian, Elif Shafak speaks of some of the initiatives that are being taken in Turkey, both officially and at the grass roots level, to address the problem:

Family and social policies minister Fatma Sahin has announced that abusive husbands will be kept away from their homes with the help of electronic handcuffs. A group of men in the eastern province of Van have organised a significant march to protest at male violence. The group's speaker proclaimed: "We are ashamed of men who attack women and do so in the name of manhood."

University students are marching on the streets, women's organisations are collecting signatures. Through blogs, websites, magazines, fanzines, panels and conferences activists are raising their voices, singers give concerts to honour women who have been victims of killings, writers and poets condemn the violence openly and contest it with their words. And yet, all this is not enough. Unless we change the way we raise our sons and discard our belief that they are superior to our daughters, unless we mothers stop treating our sons as the sultans in the house, nothing will be enough.

"Honor" violence in Turkey is rooted in social conditioning, especially in those sectors of society that have a more traditional patriarchal outlook. Using these tragedies to create the impression that Turkish leadership is extremist and "terrorist" is completely off-base.

Perry is at the back of the pack in S. Carolina so maybe he decided to go for a headline grabber in hopes of scaring up a few badly needed votes.

The world according to Rick

2012-01-18T17:26:00.000-08:00

Murdoch tweets target Google, White House and Silicon Valley

2012-01-16T14:54:00.000-08:00

Rupert Murdoch has had his hands full of late. He has been exploring his 'human side' with a Twitter account. No coincidence of course that he has taken to a Twitter facelift in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal involving News International.

Employees in the Murdoch trenches have been accused of hacking phones to get an edge on stories. They have also been called out for police bribery and exercising improper influence in pursuit of stories. One way to off-set dark talk of the media monster variety is to tweet like a regular human which Murdoch has been doing a lot of lately.

On the heels of the White House rejection of the SOPA and PIPA anti-piracy bills, the News Corp boss accused the White House of selling out to "Silicon Valley paymasters who threaten all software creators with piracy, plain thievery..." Not true. The White House has come out against deeply flawed piracy legislation, but isn't turning a blind eye to piracy.

A White House statement said in part:

"Let us be clear – online piracy is a real problem that harms the American economy, threatens jobs for significant numbers of middle-class workers and hurts some of our nation's most creative and innovative companies and entrepreneurs..."

It also said that it wouldn't support legislation that "reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risks or undermines the dynamic, innovative global internet."

While he was tweeting his objections, Murdoch found time to accuse Google of being a "piracy leader." For Murdoch to accuse anyone of being a "piracy leader" is more than a little rich.

Google's Samantha Smith responded to the criticisms:

“Last year we took down 5 million infringing Web pages from our search results and invested more than $60 million in the fight against bad ads. Like many other tech companies, we believe that there are smart, targeted ways to shut down foreign rogue websites without asking U.S. companies to censor the Internet.”

Opposition to the bills doesn't mean detractors are by definition soft on piracy. There are good reasons for concern. Google's Erik Schmidt characterized the piracy legislation as "draconian." More of Schmidt's views of the legislation here.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin said the bills "give the U.S. government and copyright holders extraordinary powers including the ability to hijack DNS and censor search results (and this is even without so much as a proper court trial)." Brin said he was "shocked" that US lawmakers would consider legislation that "...would put us on a par with the most oppressive nations in the world.” More on Brin's comments from cnet.

The argument is about the best way to go about tackling the piracy problem. Murdoch always seems mad keen on heavy handed measures, but there are smarter ways forward than resorting to the piracy bill approach.

It's much smarter to tackle piracy through a targeted approach, something the White House seems to get:

"Any provision covering internet intermediaries such as online advertising networks, payment processors, or search engines must be transparent and designed to prevent overly broad private rights of action that could encourage unjustified litigation that could discourage startup businesses and innovative firms from growing..."

The piracy bill may have been sidelined but it's far from over. No doubt there will be further attempts down the line. Which is why it is critically important for those who care about internet freedom to stay informed and if necessary petition their local reps when they believe those freedoms are under threat.

Video beneath talks about some of the challenges:

Etam lingerie models flash Renoir

2012-01-15T00:04:00.000-08:00

The French lingerie company Etam has been using "flash flash" ad campaigns to get the message out. Judging from the coverage of their recent unofficial "show" at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris it's grabbing attention, both positive and negative.

Museum visitors had their contemplation of impressionist masters interrupted when three Etam models dropped their trenchcoats to reveal colorful lingerie. The trio took off running through galleries hung with works by impressionist heavies such as Renoir, Monet, Seurat, and Cézanne.

Museum officials were not amused. Musee d'Orsay has a strict no-filming policy without prior authorization. Director Guy Cogeval has threatened legal action if Etam doesn't remove the video from its website. Bit late since the video has gone viral.

The museum released a statement calling the impromptu flash show "a serious infringement of the Orsay's rights and the rights of others."

Etam probably thinks it's worth the risk. After all a stunt like this gets picked up and relayed across the net with lightning speed. Outraged officialdom and threats of lawsuits just add to the interest.

The company has staged similar events before. Lingerie models were filmed in their skimpies skating at the Eiffel Tower ice rink. In another shoot the models stripped down to bare essentials to go through security at Charles de Gaulle airport.

Flash ad campaigns are a bit like the advertising equivalent of shock-and-awe. They pull major coverage by turning product promotion into a show stopping event... a news story.

T-Mobile's flash mob ads generated a huge buzz. "The T-Mobile Dance" in London's Liverpool Street Station was a viral sensation. Bystanders got drawn into the action, taking pictures and texting - an interactive experience very different from conventional product advertising.

On the flip side of the coin, these events can also be annoying or an inconvenience. Depending on your preference, having a carefully scheduled afternoon with the masters interrupted by giggling lingerie models could ruin the mood. Flash mobs have also drawn criticism from transport police in the UK for obvious reasons - hundreds of dancing, strutting people can be a major headache at the peak of rush hour.

Video of the Musee d'Orsay event from Huffington Post

Sarah Ferguson orphanage film: Turkish court files charges

2012-01-14T02:38:00.000-08:00

The Duchess of York aka Fergie has been charged by a Turkish court in connection with an ITV documentary she participated in that investigated conditions in Turkish orphanages.

She has been charged with breaching Turkey's laws by acquiring secret undercover footage and of violating the privacy of five children. In the case of a conviction the charges carry a maximum jail term of more than 22-years. A British interior ministry source says there is no prospect of her being extradited to face the charges.

The Duchess was accompanied by her daughter Eugenie during the trip.

While making the documentary Fergie posed as a potential charitable donor and when the occasion required disguised her appearance with a wig and large headscarf. She kept her royal status under wraps going by only the name "Sarah".

The documentary Duchess and Daughters: Their Secret Mission was broadcast on the UK's ITV show, Tonight, in November 2008. Disturbing scenes showing disabled children provoked an angry reaction from Turkish authorities. The Duchess was accused of smearing Turkey. This is a country where there is an actual law against insulting Turkishness. Article 301 of the penal code makes it illegal to insult Turkey, the Turkish ethnicity, or Turkish government institutions.

The Duchess who claims she is "apolitical" said she undertook the project "as a mom" and a human rights activist for children - but since we're talking about the notorious Fergie some skepticism has been expressed about her motivations.

Fergie has been known to do a number of newsworthy things over the years that have left people scratching their heads. All the way from being photographed having her toes sucked by "financial adviser" John Bryan... to being caught in a sting operation trying to sell access to her husband, the Duke of York, for $500,000.

It could be argued that Fergie's royal status brought a celebrity angle into play and so helped highlight a human rights issue. If the documentary has helped spur reform then so much the better. However Turkish authorities may not have seen it quite like that. They are no doubt aware of Fergie's reputation and being "outed" by someone who has spent much of her adult life being outed mightn't have gone over too well. Also it isn't as though the situation facing children in care in the UK is beyond reproach.

Some Turkish politicians take the view that the undercover documentary was an effort to hurt the country's chances of joining the EU. The minister responsible for child protections, Nimet Cubukcu, said it was known that Fergie was opposed to Turkey's EU ambitions. Turkish Foreign minister, Ali Babican, has also been critical saying the documentary involved " a breach of privacy".

There is little argument that there are human rights issues in Turkey that need to be addressed. As far back as 2005, Mental Disability Rights International (MDRI) released a report - Behind Closed Doors: Human Rights Abuses in Psychiatric Facilities, Orphanages and Rehabilitation Centers of Turkey. In response to the criticism in the report Turkey's largest psychiatric hospital, the Bakırköy state hospital in Istanbul, abolished the use of "unmodified" ECT procedures.

To what extent Fergie's undercover op has helped the larger cause of bettering the lot of kids in care is hard to gauge. One thing you have to say for her though... unlike many royals who have most in common with Madam Tussaud's lookalikes, Fergie isn't afraid to give it a go.

Bashar al-Assad: denial and defiance

2012-01-12T05:08:00.000-08:00

Things have changed in Syria since the British-born wife of Bashar al-Assad was the subject of a flattering Vogue article titled Asma al-Assad: A Rose in the Desert.

It began:

"Asma al-Assad is glamorous, young, and very chic--the freshest and most magnetic of first ladies..."

Quite the opener. Even then, before the current brutal crackdown, the Vogue article was met with disgust in some quarters. The abysmal human rights track record in Syria made a fluff piece about the first lady seem tasteless in the extreme. According to Gawker, Vogue now appears to be embarrassed by the article because it has vanished, replaced by an "OOPS... the page you are looking for cannot be found".

In the intervening months there has been a descent into domestic turmoil in Syria, fomented according to Bashar al-Assad by "terrorists", "traitors" and a "foreign conspiracy".

There is a measure of truth to his claim. There has been foreign pressure and interference by regional players. But the main impetus for change has come and is coming from the Syrian people. Years of stagnation, a tenth five-year plan that didn't deliver, concentration of wealth and power in the hands of those with regime connections, the lack of a social security net ... just some of the reasons why Bashar al-Assad is facing anger in the streets.

Syria hasn't been immune from the tidal wave of change ushered in by the Arab Spring. Neither has it been insulated from the revolution in communication technologies. YouTube is a window al-Assad can't close. Video after video bears witness to the brutality of the crackdown. It makes the President's narrative of denial look like the BS it is.

Evidence has been mounting of crimes committed by Syrian forces against civilians. Amnesty International has called on the Arab League to address ongoing allegations of serious human rights abuses.

Al-Assad although undoubtedly complicit, continues to engage in denial when addressing the events unfolding around him. He stated just this week that 'There is no order about opening fire on any citizen...'. Who is he trying to kid.

Bashar's father Hafez al-Assad, ruled Syria with an iron fist. His image dominated the public square like a presiding deity. In some loyalist circles Bashar - recipient of refracted glory - is accorded similar respect.

The Assad appeal is rapidly wearing thin. Al Jazeera published a broadcast from a mosque by an indignant imam who complained that:

"Assad's soldiers – God curse them – say Assad is their God; if that doesn't make you angry, what will?"

For more - Al Jazeera

See also - Al Jazeera Syria blog and The Guardian

Wrong guy

2012-01-12T04:59:00.000-08:00

Ed Young: 'bed-in' to promote sex in Christian marriages

2012-01-09T18:43:00.000-08:00

Pastor Ed and wife Lisa

The Beatles have been inspiring people in unusual ways lately.

During his New Year's Eve Times Square performance Cee Lo Green changed the lyrics of the John Lennon tune Imagine. Instead of "nothing to kill or die for and no religion too" Green delivered "nothing to kill or die for and all religion's true." Just about the polar opposite of Lennon's meaning.

Now news of a "bed-in" to be staged by megachurch evangelist Ed Young and wife Lisa. The event brings to mind John and Yoko's bed-ins in Amsterdam and Montreal back in the 60's.

Whereas John and Yoko's hotel room bed-ins were in the interests world peace, the Youngs' 24 hour bed-in (to be staged on the rooftop of a Texas church) aims to promote regular sex in straight Christian marriages. Whole different vision.

The event will be streamed live on Young's website. He says he will answer "relationship questions and teaching about God's purpose for intimacy in marriage". No accompanying sex action mercifully - just talk.

Ed and bed

Ed Young and St Paul might have locked horns. If the New Testament can be relied upon the apostle's attitude to sex is best expressed as "better marry than burn"... marriage is seen as a last resort for the helplessly horny. Sex kind of gets in the way. Paul considered the unmarried state the better option, at least if you go along with words attributed to him in Corinthians:

"He that is without a wife, is solicitous for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please God. But he that is with a wife, is solicitous for the things of the world, how he may please his wife: and he is divided."

Young's sexifying of Christian marriage as expressed in his book "Sexperiment" with its "seven day sex challenge" would probably not have been a big hit with Christians in the NT era. Might not even be a big hit with stressed-out Christians today who may end up finding the pastor's sex schedule a bit grueling.

Some things haven't changed though. Needless to say Young's sex message is exclusionary. He's opposed to gay unions since he believes they would "redefine marriage as it has been in the social structure of humankind since the very creation of man and woman". Nothing new there.

Link to The Guardian for more.

Trenitalia ad blasted as 'racist'

2012-01-06T14:14:00.000-08:00

Italy's state-owned railway Trenitalia has decided to replace first and second class on its high speed trains with four categories - executive, business, premium and standard.

The move by Trenitalia raised a few eyebrows because the passengers in fourth-class are so obviously at the bottom-end of the passenger pecking order... according to a Guardian article not permitted to use the on-board cafeteria and even prohibited from entering the more upscale carriages. The new arrangement drew complaints that the company was promoting segregation.

Matters took a turn for the worse when Trenitalia's web commercial appeared. Executive class showed a group of corporate looking white people settling in. Business class showed empty seats with an open tabletop ready for briefcases and laptops. Premium class showed a smiling white passenger chatting with an attendant pushing a trolley full of goodies. At the bottom of the class ladder -standard - the passengers were represented by a black family.

The ad drew a lot of negative commentary when it was profiled on the L'Espresso site.

Guardian:

Attention was first drawn to Trenitalia's video by a blogger, Alessandro Gilioli, on the website of the weekly L'Espresso, and it soon triggered a torrent of complaints. "Grotesque" and "This is called racial discrimination" were among the more polite comments on Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites.

It isn't the first time concerns about segregation - or the perception of it - have made the news in Italy. Over the past few years there has been a strong anti-immigrant backlash, some of it blatantly racist. In 2009 a Berlusconi ally, Matteo Silvani - Milan secretary of the anti-immigrant Northern League - said he wanted "seats and carriages reserved for the Milanese" on local transport.

Since sensitivities are high it's surprising that Trenitalia was OK with an ad that was pretty much guaranteed to provoke a negative reaction.

Following the outrage generated by the ad, the video was quickly withdrawn and replaced by a new one that shows a white family in standard class. In addition, two non-white women now feature in the executive class group.

Mitt Romney: Lies and lies-about-lies

2012-01-03T17:03:00.000-08:00

Mitt Romney has been accused by his detractors, Democrat and Republican alike, of being a flip flopper. I'm not sure if the term "flip flopper" adequately describes the chameleon like transformations-of-convenience that mark Romney's political history.

Issue shifting and volte face switcheroos that would embarrass many a candidate seem natural for Romney. It's so much a part of the man, it's almost second nature. Of course he's never without a gloss or rationalization to explain his ever-changing mind - the deeply felt convictions that prompted yet another reconsideration on issues as various as abortion, healthcare, climate change, gun control, gay rights, immigration, tax pledges, Ronald Reagan and the auto industry... to name a few.

Romney's checkered past makes you wonder if playing fast and loose is part of an actual strategy of sorts. Take the ad the Romney campaign ran that willfully distorted a quote by President Obama.

In the ad, the President is heard saying "If we keep talking about the economy. we're going to lose."

The Romney ad conveniently ignores the context in which those comments were made during the 2008 presidential campaign. The President in fact said:

“Senator McCain’s campaign actually said, and I quote, ‘If we keep talking about the economy, we’re going to lose.’ ”

Obama was referencing a quote by a McCain adviser that appeared in the New York Daily News. The spin in the Romney ad deliberately misrepresents the President. Not that a bit of flimflammery bothers Mitt and his team. In a New York Times article titled "The Reinvention of Political Morality" a Romney operative passed off the ad deception as propaganda: "We are in the persuasion business, the propaganda business…. Ads are agitprop…. Ads are about hyperbole, they are about editing."

The shift in Romney's positions on some issues is so stark and self-serving it speaks to a level of political cynicism that is breathtaking. Take his positions on abortion as an example, bearing in mind that in his latest pro-life incarnation he claims he never adopted the term "pro-choice."

"I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country. I have since the time when my Mom took that position when she ran in 1970 as a U.S. Senate candidate. I believe that since Roe v. Wade has been the law for 20 years that we should sustain and support it, and I sustain and support that law and the right of a woman to make that choice."
Senatorial debate (1994)

"I respect and willfully protect a woman's right to choose. That choice is a deeply personal one, and the women of our state should make it based on their beliefs, not mine and not the government's."
GOP acceptance speech (2002)

"I've never called myself pro-choice."
Redstate interview (2006)

He attributed his right-to-choose convictions to a family tragedy. A young relative named Ann Keenan died as a result of a botched abortion. Following that in 1994 Romney told voters he had switched from anti-abortion to pro-choice. It didn't last long. In 2005 when he was looking at a run on the GOP ticket he reversed positions and declared that he was anti-abortion.

Romney has also been falsifying Obama's policies and record. He claims the President wants to create "an entitlement society" in which everyone gets "the same rewards." Obama has never proposed anything of the sort or enacted policies with any such stated objective. Even as "hyperbole" it fails.

None of this stuff is new. In the 2008 campaign Romney was caught out on a few fast ones. There was the story about how he and his dad marched with the late Martin Luther King - here. Even when the story was debunked he persisted in digging deeper.

Other incidents from a few years back raise questions about character, for example the Obama/Osama and dog box incidents - here.

With respect to tall tales, Romney shares a few traits with Joseph Smith, the prophet who helped pave the way for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints aka the Mormons.

On a recent show Rachel Maddow called Romney out on falsehoods - "false about being false" - and provides video evidence to back it up - beneath:

Refresh page if video is slow to load

Flip flop king

2012-01-03T17:00:00.000-08:00

NC family group uses crosshairs graphic to attack same-sex marriage

2011-12-30T05:18:00.000-08:00

Rev Mark Harris is one of the leading voices calling for a ban on same-sex marriage in N. Carolina. He heads up the state's Baptist Convention this year and will be in the vanguard of a push for a state constitutional amendment.

In reference to the upcoming referendum on marriage equality in the state, Harris said he wants a civil debate: “But I hope we can express our positions – keep the conversation to the facts and our principles – and do it in a civil way...”

Trouble is there is little that has been "civil" about the debate on this issue to date, with opponents of same-sex marriage frequently resorting to the worst slurs and stereotypes in an effort to demonize. Few issues are so emotionally charged.

It doesn't help when there is an attempt to defend traditional marriage with graphics designed to intimidate. The image up top was chosen by the North Carolina Family Policy Council to appear in its quarterly publication. It's an obvious attempt to generate fear by profiling same-sex marriage as a real and present danger.

The graphic sends a warped message that has little to do with reality. Same-sex partners are concerned with doing what feels best for them. To profile same-sex marriage as an assault on traditional marriage is paranoid thinking writ large.

The last time we heard about cross-hairs was in connection with Sarah Palin's infamous 'crosshairs' map that targeted legislators who voted for Obama's health care bill. The map received extensive media attention after the Tucsan shooting that injured Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

The sniper graphic manages to be both offensive and absurd in equal measure. The shooter in the wheatfield with the gun sights trained on the couple is presumably someone with a grudge of homicidal proportions - an unlikely scenario given that the LGBT community and its supporters aren't exactly gun friendly and not famous for snipers.

If opponents of same-sex marriage really want a civil debate they should start by toning down the rhetoric and retiring the gun imagery. Marriage is about love and commitment. In that context it is universal, something we all can or should be able to relate to irrespective of orientation.

More on the story - Huffington Post

Women's rights under threat in Israel

2011-12-21T00:23:00.000-08:00

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently criticized the growing exclusion of women from public life in Israel. Her timing couldn't be better given news reports of segregated public transportation, 'Mea She'arim' streets, the defacing of ads that show female models and even bizarre concerns raised in some Orthodox quarters about female public singing.

Secretary Clinton said the segregation of women on Israeli buses reminds her of civil rights hero, Rosa Parks, a black woman who refused to give up her seat to white passengers in the 1950's.

In previous posts on this blog I covered stories from Israel that deal with gender discrimination. They include a story about a newspaper that photoshopped a picture of the Israeli cabinet in order to erase women members and replace them with men. The story of a rabbi who tried to prevent women from running in local elections. Also the refusal by the Orthodox to publish photos of female Israeli politician Tzipi Livni in their publications.

Recent reports suggest matters are deteriorating on the Israeli gender front.

Although segregation occurs on Israel's bus service Egged, when it does occur it is in most instances a voluntary arrangement. This isn't good enough for a group of ultra-Orthodox millionaires who are looking at funding a private bus line that would enforce strict segregation. The service would be provided in Haredi neighborhoods in Jerusalem, notably Beit Shemesh and Ashdod.

Some Orthodox males seem to think they can impose their beliefs on women at will. Last week in Ashdod a woman named Tanya Rosenblit was ordered by a Haredi male passenger to sit at the back of the bus. The man refused to allow the driver to close the doors until Ms Rosenblit complied with his command. A policeman who got involved asked Ms Rosenblit to accommodate the man's request. When she refused to do so, the Haredi chauvinist got off the bus.

Segregation isn't just happening on the buses. The UK Independent reports that during a recent festival in a Jerusalem neighborhood, Haredim erected a screen to force the separation of men and women on the street. The Independent article also said that during a local election last week Orthodox men attempted to prevent women from voting by screaming at them.

A segregated 'Mea She'arim' street

Haaretz reported this week on segregation measures undertaken by a high school in Herzliya:

Students at a local Herzliya high school were startled by the large yellow sign hanging above their heads as they entered school on Tuesday morning. The sign called for the division between sexes in the classroom, forcing girls to sit on the right while boys sat on the left. Even a Mechitza – a Halakhic partition used to divide men and women in places of Jewish worship – was placed at the entrance to the school, in order to emphasize the notion of separation among the hundreds of students who attend the school.

School segregation in Herzliya

Some students and parents protested the move by the school with sarcastic signs and comments. One sign read "Women are inferior". A student asked the principal if girls would be permitted to sing any more.

In Israel female singing can set off the easily offended. In the military, religious soldiers have refused to attend ceremonies in which females were scheduled to sing. It has also been reported that they have refused commands from female officers.

Billboards bearing the female form aren't safe either from negative attention. Advertising companies have even opted to keep female images off billboard, bus and other venues in Jerusalem out of concern that they will be vandalized.

Vandalized ad

There have been reports of retailers being targeted by the so-called Mea She'arim 'mafia'. A Haredi group called Sikrikim have attacked businesses for not putting up signs requesting "modesty standards". The tactics have included window smashing, gluing of locks and the throwing of tar, fish oil and human excrement.

Discrimination against women is by no means a recent development in Israel. Nor can it simply be sidelined as a problem peculiar to those of more orthodox leanings. While its true that the Orthodox have been at the forefront of news reports dealing with discrimination against women, the state itself has been far too accommodating of religious values - often at the expense of human rights.

Frances Raday, a member of the UN human rights task force that deals with discrimination against women makes a number of very good points when addressing the issue of gender-based discrimination in Israel:

"Since its establishment, the State of Israel has displayed an exaggerated degree of tolerance toward the phenomenon of religious values' overthrow of human rights values, and this includes trespass of the rights of women...

"...there was nothing that stopped religious groups from believing that they are more powerful than the value of equality, and that they can apply patriarchal interpretations of Jewish sources holding that their views take precedence relative to the value of equality."

Ms Raday's analysis is borne out by the discrimination Rachel Azaria encountered. Ms Azaria is an Orthodox woman and a member of the Jerusalem city council. During the 2008 election campaign for Jerusalem city council, Ms Azaria as is customary, opted to post pictures of the electoral list she headed on Jerusalem buses. The bus company informed her that it was "forbidden" to show pictures of women on buses. She was told by the agency involved "No pictures of girls on buses in Jerusalem. Not a 3-year-old and not an 80-year-old."

Ms Azaria said in a Haaretz article that "This new phenomenon, and the system's willingness to capitulate to it, fills me with great fear for the position of women in the State of Israel."

Mary pregnancy kit ad draws heat

2011-12-19T11:45:00.000-08:00

Churches have a hard time getting bodies into the pews these days. Part of the reason for the decline in church attendance is because we live in a more skeptical age. Biblical tales about parting seas, angelic visitations, God-sent plagues and virgins who magically become pregnant tend to be subject to more critical scrutiny.

An Anglican church in Auckland NZ, St Mathew-in-the-City, has come up with controversial ads in an effort to provoke interest and discussion. Their latest seasonal ad shows a rather sickly looking Mary looking deeply apprehensive as she eyes the results of a home pregnancy kit test.

The Mary ad has provoked predictable outrage on the part of traditionalists who take the bible much too seriously. Charges range all the way from blasphemy to bad taste.

A New Zealand man involved with a Catholic Action Group protest march ripped the lower part of the poster. The vandal, one Arthur Skinner, openly admits that he ripped the ad and told a local news outlet - "to see this at this time is an absolute abomination". Skinner is less bothered by the fact that his conduct was precisely the opposite of that recommended by the gospels he holds so dear.

Vandalized ad

Really the ad is little more than a novel effort to make Mary appear more human, more real, more vulnerable. Kind of like a pregnant teen faced with a life changing dilemma.

The problem of course is that Mary isn't just anyone. If you buy the bible's explanation she's no less than the mother-of-God. A concept not everyone can easily relate to.

Glynn Cardy, the minister of St Mathew, seems to think that the ad will provoke discussion and lead to new understandings. If he is proposing a more humanist interpretation of the biblical narrative, his contention might hold up. But if the ad leads artfully to the same old conclusion, namely that Mary's pregnancy was the work of none other than "God" then it's hard to see where this will lead.

The late Christopher Hitchens boldly stated that "God is not great" and there are many sound reasons for arriving at that conclusion. Religion and its superstitions has contributed mightily to endless strife and division in our world. Coming up with novel ways to present old myths is just a new way to proselytize when what we really need is an informed reality check.

An earlier and equally controversial ad put out by St Mathew church in 2009 shows Joseph and Mary in bed beneath a provocative caption.

Mary calls the crisis line

2011-12-19T10:44:00.000-08:00

Rick Perry: gaffes and awkward moments

2011-12-15T00:05:00.000-08:00

It's been engaging following the American presidential contenders as they gear up. One thing you can rely on is the spectacle. The departure of Herman Cain hasn't taken anything away from the entertainment value... after all Rick Perry is still hanging in there.

Perry's greatest challenge since he joined the the Republican roadshow has been well... Rick Perry.

He started out in August like a gunslinger who had swaggered into town aiming to set things straight, six-shooters blasting in the general direction of the White House. Then weird stuff started happening - vacant moments, memory lapses, odd segues, bloopers that even his swagger-and-smile routine couldn't fix.

Pundits began questioning if Perry's oops moments were caused by performance anxiety, a lack of basic knowledge, some undiagnosed organic problem or just plain old dumb-and-dumber syndrome. A Texan on a Huffpo comment thread made the observation "Yall are experiencing the Oooops us Texans have been stuck with for ten years."

During the CNBC debate Perry proposed a plan for overhauling government. He started off gamely enough saying there were three agencies he would knock off... "Commerce"... "Education"... then went blank. Someone in the audience yelled out "EPA" but that wasn't what Rick was trawling for in the canyon of his mind. He was a bit like the slow kid at the back of the class adding with help of his digits as he struggled to deliver...

"And let's see. I can't. The third one, I can't."

With other gaffes Perry has been edging perilously close to McCain "my fellow prisoners" territory.

In Ames, Iowa, he complained about money put into the solar industry, in particular the energy company Solyndra. However it came out as "I want to say it was over $500 million that went to the country Solynda." Land of the Solyndians.

In New Hampshire the bloopers kept coming. He screwed up on the 2012 election date and the voting age. In the US the voting age is 18 but Lone Star pegged it at 21.

A further blank moment occurred during an interview with the editorial board of the Des Moines Register. Perry criticized the appointment of "activist judges" but when he tried to provide a name he came up empty. Never a guy to quit, he blurted out "Montomayor." Where that came from is anyone's guess although curiously enough Monto was the name of an infamous redlight district in Dublin, Ireland. A board member let him off the hook by offering "Sotomayor" - the name of the Supremo in question.

The hole got deeper when he referred to "eight unelected" justices during a discussion of school prayer. In fact there are nine justices on the US Supreme Court.

The list of gaffes will no doubt will be added to in the coming weeks. When asked if missteps might sideline his campaign Perry was quick to respond in the negative - “Oh, shoot, no. This ain’t a day for quitting nothing.”

Funny Rick Perry vid beneath (dubbed):

For more: MNN, Huffington Post

Canada's Kyoto cop out

2011-12-13T18:45:00.000-08:00

To a chorus of international condemnation, Canada has announced that it is pulling out of the Kyoto climate treaty. It's clear that this is where Harper was steering the ship so to those of us watching from the lower decks it comes as no big surprise.

A cutting and very amusing Heather Mallick article - "Canada goes tabloid" - notes that Canada's environment weasel, former news anchor Peter Kent, rather than make the announcement in Durban waited until he was on home turf to spill the beans.

Mallick:

Imagine being Canada. Imagine doing the international walk of shame from the Durban conference and later announcing, hungover with chunks in your hair, wearing whatever you picked off a stranger's floor, and a shoe missing, that you don't care, you are walking out of the Kyoto protocol and the rest of the world can go fry itself.

Imagine making this announcement when you're safely home in the nation's capital – a strange little place called Ottawa, the epicentre of grim, a Canadian Luton on a rainy weekend – because you were too chicken to do it in Durban since you knew you would be a laughing stock worldwide.

Imagine being a Canadian waking up to this news.

Imagine being me, being asked by the Guardian to explain why my nice country, famously full of people who spend their days hewing wood and drawing water amid a stream of apologies, has gone all, well, crap. "Is Canada suddenly being run by the Daily Mail?" the editor asked, impeccably courteous as always. Oh you Brits, so charming as you insert the knife.

And the answer is an honest Canadian yes.

The history of climate-change negotiation is bedeviled with half-truths and outright lies. Politicians who refuse to face the facts of climate change spin the stats, minimize the threat and harp on the importance of livelihood and sustainability. Meanwhile the planet is heading by increments toward a crisis that seems increasingly inevitable - especially with the stonewalling and denial on the political front.

Given the current backpedaling, the idea that we can limit the earth's warming to two degrees celsius above the pre-industrial level is highly improbable. Two degrees is the metaphorical ceiling because once we get above that the risks become exponentially greater.

We're already at 0.8 degrees warming. Quite aside from the yearly increase in carbon emissions, carbon already present in the atmosphere will help drive the mercury toward the 2 degree mark. Two degrees by the way is the low end on the calamity scale. Scientists are warning that it could soar as high as 4 degrees over time.

Meanwhile Canada's conservative politicians mortgage our children's future for short term gain and act righteous about it.

In the face of the growing threat political action on the climate-change front isn't negotiable. Canadian government' claims that it is standing by a commitment made at the TK Copenhagen conference to reduce emissions by 17% (below the 2005 level) by 2020, is little more than talk especially given Harper's tar sands agenda.

Canada's decision to do the wrong thing by throwing Kyoto overboard weakens its standing on the world stage when it comes to the climate debate. It's beyond hypocritical to demand limits from others when you are rogue yourself.

On the closing day of COP17 in Durban Canada was awarded the Colossal Fossil Award. This follows on a number of Fossil of the Day awards presented to Canada for its obduracy and foot dragging. Typically when Kent announced a recent Fossil award in Ottawa conservatives in the House of Commons greeted the news with hoots of laughter. That pretty much sums up the attitude of the resident philistines.

Link also to Guardian and Globe and Mail

Kyoto-free Christmas at the Harpers

2011-12-13T18:43:00.000-08:00

Post status

2011-06-14T23:47:00.000-07:00

No new posts on this blog in the interim. Other projects have been taking priority.

TY for the messages re 'disappearing' images in the 2007 archive. I altered some account related settings and this had the unintended result of some images being replaced with black squares. Once I rejigged the settings the images reappeared, so everything should be status quo.

Thanks for the invite from Atomic Reach to participate in the Toronto Star's "Speak Your Mind" that covered the Ontario Provincial Election. Couldn't get freed up to blog on the forum but followed the coverage and was impressed with the input from participating bloggers. The above mentioned projects have taken more time than anticipated but will hopefully be back to the posting routine before long.

JC

Carbon tax debate ignites controversy in Australia

2011-06-02T06:23:00.000-07:00

A pro-climate change ad campaign that calls for a tax on carbon has sparked a row in Australia. The ad campaign funded by environmental groups including Greenpeace and the Climate Change Institute, features the actor Cate Blanchett who has been dubbed "Carbon Cate" by some of her critics. In the ad she calls on Australians to "finally" do something about climate change.

Australian conservative leader Tony Abbott, who once described human-induced climate change as "crap" is steamed about the ad campaign. He dismissed Cate Blanchett as an "out of touch" celebrity.

Guardian:

The conservative opposition leader... lambasted the advert. "People who are worth $53m have a right to be heard – but their voice should not be heard ahead of the ordinary working people of this country..."

Abbott also aimed criticism at Australian PM, Julia Gillard - "This is a prime minister who is happy to listen to actors but she won't listen to voters..."

The use of the term 'actor' in an attempt to in some way diminish Blanchett's climate change advocacy is a cheap shot. The resentment toward her in some quarters isn't only related to her stance on carbon, it is more generally directed at members of perceived cultural 'elites' who speak out on environmental issues. In the eyes of some Australians Blanchett's celebrity status and personal wealth make her suspect.

She took the criticism in her stride: “I’m not really surprised by the reactions of people on the other side of the debate. People are entitled to their opinion."

Cate Blanchett brings more than a Hollywood name to the climate change debate. She and her husband, John Upton are joint artistic directors at the Sydney Theater Company. They are behind the 'greening' of the Sydney theatre where rooftop solar panels have been installed. Attention has also been given to improving waste management and recycling at the facility.

Cate Blanchett in the solar farm of the

Sydney Theatre Company

The carbon fight has been heating up in the Australian parliament. PM Julia Gillard's plan to cut greenhouse emissions through a carbon tax and emissions trading has met with stiff resistance. She recently warned that the famous World Heritage Kakuda wetland of "Crocodile Dundee" fame is endangered by climate change.

Gillard:

"Salt water will get into the fresh water in Kakadu, changing the ecology, being a real risk for the native animals that live there, being a real risk for the indigenous communities that still rely on this ecosystem ... "

Australians are ranked among the world's worst per capita polluters. Despite the growing threat to the environment from emissions, 60% of Australians are opposed to a carbon tax. This is in part due to scare tactics used by opponents of the tax who claim that a carbon tax would inflate the cost of energy leading to an overall increase in the cost of living.

This is a shortsighted approach. Unfortunately it may take more tangible evidence of the effects of climate change before attitudes change across the board.

The Chief Executive of the Climate Institute, John Connor, accused opponents of waging "a furious scare campaign." He said "Australia is a high-polluting economy and we want to get the simple fact through that this approach would be one which started to make the big companies pay for their pollution."

Link also to Guardian - BBC - Toronto Star