tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273871082011-11-03T10:32:28.121-04:00Left-wing politics from the US to Nepal, via Zimbabwe, South America and Palestine.Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.comBlogger941100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1159374427338638082006-09-27T12:26:00.000-04:002006-09-27T12:27:08.253-04:00

So apparently Ehud Olmert met with someone high-up in the Saudi regime a couple of weeks ago. They discussed the rather defunct 2002 Arab peace initiative, which offered Israel full normalization with Arab states, in return for a withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza and a return of the Golan Heights to Syria.Some might say that the very fact of this meeting shows one of two things:Olmert's

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com81tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1159205454685941702006-09-25T13:27:00.000-04:002006-09-25T13:31:55.956-04:00

Between us, I'm also Fed Up with the Zionist Entity!By Benny Tziper 09/24/06Hebrew original here.While standing in line at the post office I saw a French couple, a man and a woman, not young, who were trying to figure out which line they should be standing in. I went over to them and asked them what they wished to do. They said that since they made aliyah [1] to Israel half-a-year ago they

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1159036813378481922006-09-23T14:27:00.000-04:002006-09-24T09:52:04.573-04:00

One more blog entry from Benny Tziper, on the occasion of the Jewish New Year.My Wishes for a Year of Continued Myth-ShatteringBy Beni Tziper - 09/22/06In the next year, I hope that organized student trips to Auschwitz get canceled, and I hope for the continuation of the myth-shattering that began during the Lebanon war, during which the Israel army entirely failed to protect us, and the ones who

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1158787273991959092006-09-20T17:02:00.000-04:002006-09-20T17:21:20.626-04:00

Today in Ha'aretz, Uzi Benziman laments the 'fact' that Arabs living in Israel supported Hizbollah during the last war. He leaps from the correct assumption that "To Israeli Arabs, the Israel Defense Forces operation was unnecessary, disproportionate and caused abominable injustices to their Lebanese brethren." to "During the recent war, a line was crossed: Arab Israelis did not hesitate to

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1158676260841229962006-09-19T10:30:00.000-04:002006-09-19T10:31:01.800-04:00

Israel scattered at least 350,000 unexploded cluster bombs on south Lebanon in its war with Hezbollah, mostly when the conflict was nearing its end, leaving a deadly legacy for civilians, United Nations officials said on Tuesday.cluster bombs had killed or wounded an average of three people a day since the war ended, with 15 killed, including a child, and 83 wounded, of whom 23 are children.it "

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1158623467101345292006-09-18T19:36:00.000-04:002006-09-18T19:51:07.586-04:00

I wasn't planning on doing another translation today, but then I came across one more Benny Tziper blog entry, and I just couldn't resist.Three Religions with Alzheimer'sBy Benny TziperHebrew original here.The three monotheistic religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (I have no idea what's happening with other religions) - have reached in our days the last stage of Alzheimer's disease, and

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1158597027246460812006-09-18T12:17:00.000-04:002006-09-18T12:30:28.123-04:00

After that last translation-saga, I was rather hoping to return to the left for my next piece. So here it is. Moshe Zimmerman is one of many left-wing Israeli academics who opposed the war in Lebanon. This column deals with the effect of the war on Israel's international image. While that may not be of concern to the majority of the world's left, I believe that one does have to consider the

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1158535432567881162006-09-17T19:07:00.000-04:002006-09-17T19:24:10.750-04:00

Here's the rest of the interview. Man, this was a long one...Ben Kaspit, Ma'ariv, 9/15/06Hebrew original here.Just Kill CitizensWhat are your conclusions from the war?"The Lebanon arena is not a unique case. It exposed basic flaws in the conceptualization of security."What do you mean?"The moment massive missile fire into Israeli territory began, and the civilian population in the rear was

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1158444966748856192006-09-16T18:15:00.000-04:002006-09-16T18:18:20.776-04:00

As one of the leaders of Israel's far-right National Union-National Religious, MK Efi Eitam has long been one of the most hard-line political leaders in Israel. While pretty far in political terms from the center of Kadima, he has carved himself a niche of strong influence on the government from opposition. When I saw he gave a long interview to the right-wing newspaper Ma'ariv, I jumped at the

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1158333566365491772006-09-15T11:11:00.000-04:002006-09-15T11:19:26.736-04:00

I came across this on BBC today:"Iraq's interior ministry has announced plans to increase security in Baghdad by digging trenches around the city, and surrounding it with checkpoints....Brigadier Abdul Karim of the interior ministry told the BBC that hundreds of minor roads would be sealed off under the plan, so that the city could only be accessed via 28 checkpoints."According to BBC radio,

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1158256140552106652006-09-14T13:48:00.000-04:002006-09-14T13:49:00.920-04:00

I always enjoy reading the Israeli far-right. I wouldn't find them disturbing if they didn't have so much damn power. These crazy wingnuts have 20 seats, fully one-sixth of the Knesset. Nine seats for the National Union and eleven seats for Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home), whose platform isn't radically different. Throw in the Likud, whose platform is just a touch less radical, and you get

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1158244084568463992006-09-14T10:27:00.000-04:002006-09-14T10:28:06.220-04:00

The Ha'aretz editorial today condemns the use of cluster munitions by the army. Good.I'm further convinced that there needs to be an official commission to investigate the use of these weapons, especially the level at which the decision was taken to do things like '"flood" an area with cluster bombs'. While that would in no way absolve the higher command (if indeed the order came from the

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1158097174754343632006-09-12T17:38:00.000-04:002006-09-12T17:59:57.533-04:00

Last Friday, Ha'aretz published an article by Meron Rappaport containing testimony from Israel army soldiers regarding the firing of cluster munitions during the recent war. Unsurprisingly, it was not translated into English. Today, a follow-up article was published. The Hebrew edition made reference to the Friday article. The English edition did not. I figured I'd translate the Friday

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1158011643148546532006-09-11T17:53:00.000-04:002006-09-11T17:54:04.623-04:00

So somewhere between crying over the victims of 9/11 and singing the Star-spangled Banner with your hand on your heart, you may have noticed that Mahmood Abbas declared a Palestinian unity government today. The basis for this government is the Prisoner's Document and the 2002 Arab initiative for peace.Let's examine what that means, from the Prisoner's Document:"the Palestinian people [...] seek

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1157949809729145032006-09-11T00:35:00.000-04:002006-09-11T10:49:44.666-04:00

Another wonderful article from my new favorite Israeli.The Arad Cult [1]By Benny TziperHebrew original hereIf the saying that memory is the intelligence of fools is true, then the nation of Israel is the fool of the nations. It is a nation that has turned the memory of past painful events into an addiction, or even a religion. To understand a few of the mysteries of this religion it was

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1157394155168982652006-09-04T14:22:00.000-04:002006-09-04T14:22:37.053-04:00

Yo, this is awesome. Probably won't last long, but hey, it's a start.A number of European states are refusing to allow El Al cargo planes carrying Israel Defense Forces equipment from stopover landings in their airports.The refusal came from states considered friendly with Israel, including Britain, Germany and ItalyDanny Rubinstein wrote a great op-ed in Ha'aretz today, pointing out that while

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1157128364145120532006-09-01T12:13:00.000-04:002006-09-01T12:34:26.813-04:00

A decent, if a tad shallow Chomsky article in the Guardian Unlimited blog today.I disagree with his assertion that a two-state solution will bring about peace, but the rest of his analysis makes quite a bit of sense. Especially this:"In keeping with a familiar pattern, the aggression is sharply increasing the support for Hizbullah, not only in the Arab and Muslim worlds beyond, but also in

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1156945604061851772006-08-30T09:42:00.000-04:002006-08-30T09:47:16.673-04:00

Wonderful article by Amira Hass in Ha'aretz today: Can you really not see?|Israel|Palestine|Zionism|Translation|Ha'aretz|Middle East|War|Arabs|Jews|Racism|

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1156413483244306392006-08-24T05:44:00.000-04:002006-08-24T05:58:03.593-04:00

Poll done for Israeli Channel 99 (the Knesset channel) today came out with the following results:76% of Israeli Jews believe that at least half of Arabs living inside Israel supported Hizbollah during the war.In actual fact, 18% of Arabs living in Israel supported Hizbollah during the war.62% of Israeli Jews would not be willing to rent a flat to an Arab.56% of Israeli Jews would be 'disturbed'

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1156240966888585202006-08-22T05:58:00.000-04:002006-08-22T06:02:47.256-04:00

Enough with the "Axis of Evil"By Yaron Ezrahi(Hebrew original here)A 180-degree turnaround is needed in Israeli policy towards the Muslim worldAs the only non-Muslim state in the Middle East, Israel will not be able to exist in the region for long if it continues to fulfill, in her own perception and in the perception of her neighbors, the role of front in the Western struggle against Islam. In

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1155026931319079042006-08-08T04:48:00.000-04:002006-08-08T05:27:16.646-04:00

From YNet today. Of course this isn't translated. Check out the (generally) insane right-wing stuff they post on their English opinion site. Yours truly providing you with what they don't want you to see: the critical opinions from inside Israel showing that their is no united rear. OK, that may be a bit over the top, but here goes anyway:Where is the State?By Ariana Melamed8/8/06(From Hebrew

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1154942602900541002006-08-07T05:04:00.000-04:002006-08-07T05:23:55.850-04:00

I cannot comment on this. Watch it.Originates from here. Made by these people.Locations in Lebanon bombed by Israel, as of August 5th, 2006Lebanese transport and vital sites bombed, as of August 4th, 2006Both those originate here.|Israel|Lebanon|Video|Beirut|Middle East|YouTube|

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1154861321096952542006-08-06T06:44:00.000-04:002006-08-06T06:49:23.656-04:00

So I promised myself I'd never get into the trend of posting Daily Show clips, but then I also said I'd do some work.Oh well, here's some Daily Show on the war:|Israel|Lebanon|Daily Show|Jon Stewart|Comedy|Religion|apocalyse|

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1154625525680510232006-08-03T12:42:00.000-04:002006-08-03T13:18:54.780-04:00

Damn, they're quick. A 51-page report on the war, including Qana, available here.Some selected quotes:"The Israeli government claims that it targets only Hezbollah, and that fighters from the group are using civilians as human shields, thereby placing them at risk. Human Rights Watch found no cases in which Hezbollah deliberately used civilians as shields to protect them from retaliatory IDF

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1154594084990834092006-08-03T04:30:00.000-04:002006-08-03T04:37:21.666-04:00

Olmert, for those of you who don't recognize the bastard. Yesterday, he declared victory in the war. Anyone want to tell me why there are still a ton of soldiers there if Israel's already won?|Israel|Lebanon|military|caricature|

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1154516214765591502006-08-02T06:24:00.000-04:002006-08-02T09:15:48.953-04:00

Last week, on the 25th, I was at a local hospital helping a young girl get transferred for better treatment when we were informed about the presence of Israeli special forces in Ramallah. We went down to the scene to discover around eight jeeps and hummers, plus a huge prison truck and around eighty soldiers.After talking to some people, we found out that the soldiers were targetting a single

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1154424275603815052006-08-01T04:02:00.000-04:002006-08-02T09:17:48.263-04:00

Essential reading this from one of the very few sane Israelis writing at the moment. Check it out. Hebrew original here.Kufr Qana as a Kitch of Oy-Oy-OyBy Benny TsiperKufr Qana doesn't make us less right, simply because from the beginning we were not right. As opposed to all sorts of blockheads from the left and the right as one, who are walking around mortified after the bombing of Kufr Qana,

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com140tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1153912085980893532006-07-26T06:07:00.000-04:002006-08-02T09:20:57.086-04:00

Yesterday I attended a demonstration in Ramallah against Condoleeza Rice's visit in the region. While the various political and armed factions seemed pretty united, the Palestinian Authority police and security forces attacked the crowd with huge (baseball bat sized!) batons and a number of people were injured. The factions did not come armed.The angry crowd was pushed back and surged back

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1153810786329324012006-07-25T02:51:00.000-04:002006-07-25T02:59:46.693-04:00

So, I'm in Ramallah, hanging out in the ISM media office. It's really good to be here :)We are all going to a huge anti-Condi demo in a couple of hours. The demo has been called by all Palestinian armed and political factions to protest her visit in the region. The entirety of Ramallah seems to be on strike, so this will be huge...I'm sort of terrified, actually. The Palestinian Authority

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1153222072051717422006-07-18T06:55:00.000-04:002006-07-18T07:27:52.573-04:00

So I'm in the relative safety of Tel Aviv, far from the craziness of the North and the South. Everything here is as normal. Coffee shops, malls, street life all continue. The only disruption was a wonderful demonstration against this pointless and murderous war the other day. I expected 200 people to come and was delighted to see around 1,000. It's not that much, but at least we can show

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1152855962160804622006-07-14T01:42:00.000-04:002006-07-14T01:46:02.833-04:00

So, I'm in Israel after a week in Holland/Belgium/Hungary, lots of beer and vague attempts at ignoring the war that seems to be starting here.So once I get some sleep, and can think clearly about this lunatic country (which I maintain is far, far crazier than the US under Bush) I'll post some thoughts, and will start translating Israeli press again. I think it's crucial to understand the

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1150925769012354042006-06-21T17:36:00.000-04:002006-06-21T17:44:44.796-04:00

Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) is gaining fast in polls in Mexico. The poll currently shows AMLO at 35%, with his main rival, Felipe Calderón, at 32%. Given that the margin of error is 3.1%, this puts the two virutally neck-in-neck. The election is scheduled fo July 2nd.AMLO is no Chavez, but his election will further unsettle Latin America watchers in DC. Recently, AMLO took a pretty

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1150924540867894182006-06-21T17:04:00.000-04:002006-06-21T17:15:41.053-04:00

Roger Waters (of Pink Floyd fame) spray-painted 'Tear Down The Wall' on the Apartheid Wall in Palestine today. Good, I suppose...|Israel|Palestine|Apartheid|Racism|Apartheid Wall|

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1150912238892696012006-06-21T13:49:00.000-04:002006-06-21T17:06:16.406-04:00

Two more civilians dead in Gaza after yet another botched airstrike.|Israel|Palestine|Apartheid|Racism|Murder|Gaza|

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1150833911070425252006-06-20T16:00:00.000-04:002006-06-20T16:05:12.036-04:00

Kibbutz Kabry in the Western Galilee has closed the gates of its swimming pool to Arab visitors:'"This is a very restricted, community-oriented model... we want to hold community activities that are funded by the kibbutz and to create a homier atmosphere."'|Israel|Israeli-Arabs|Apartheid|Racism|Recreation|Discrimination|

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1150828253851568702006-06-20T14:29:00.000-04:002006-06-20T14:30:54.006-04:00

3 more today in Gaza.|Israel|Palestine|Apartheid|Racism|>|Children|>|Gaza|

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1150731021787864022006-06-19T11:23:00.000-04:002006-06-19T11:31:58.630-04:00

"The moment the separation fence annexes to Israel locales inhabited by about a quarter of a million Palestinians who are not citizens of Israel, it can be stated clearly that the consideration is a political consideration of annexing territory, even at the price of abandoning security."Danny Rubenstein is definitely not among the most left-wing commentators in Ha'aretz. In today's op-ed, he

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1150730571227919502006-06-19T11:13:00.000-04:002006-06-19T11:22:51.903-04:00

According to the New York Times, an oil-refinement byproduct, black oil, is being dumped in large quantities in Northern Iraq. Until very recently, it was on fire:"An environmental disaster is brewing in the heartland of Iraq's northern Sunni-led insurgency, where Iraqi officials say that in a desperate move to dispose of millions of barrels of an oil refinery byproduct called "black oil," the

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1150299963654020662006-06-14T11:38:00.000-04:002006-06-14T11:46:03.773-04:00

"Udi Tamir, one of Tamir Flight's owners, confirmed Tuesday that non-Jews are not permitted on flights, saying he cannot allow all passengers on flights, because there is no scanning machine at the airport in Kiryat Shmona. Tamir added that he is operating according to security forces' instructions."Na, this isn't Apartheid. Nothing racist about it. Nothing whatsoever. Clear off now, nothing to

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1150298272106833402006-06-14T11:09:00.000-04:002006-06-14T11:17:54.946-04:00

Sudan? West Africa?Nope: Iraq."In all, as of the end of 2005, 889,000 Iraqis have moved abroad as refugees since 2003, according to the group's tally, more than double the 366,000 counted at the end of 2004."That's over 3.4% of the population. So more than 1 in 30 Iraqis are refugees outside Iraq. This does not count internally displaced people, estimated at 1.2 million.|Iraq|Refugees|

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1150223421546165532006-06-13T14:15:00.000-04:002006-06-13T14:30:31.876-04:00

Israel has just declared that they were not responsible for the explosion that killed seven members of the same Palestinian family last week. Apparently, the family just spontaneously exploded. I'm sure they weren't responsible for the death of seven civilians (including two children) today either:"The dead were reported to include two brothers, four-year-old Hishamal-Mugrabi and eight-year-old

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1149700429542589762006-06-07T13:13:00.000-04:002006-06-07T13:13:49.866-04:00

A few days ago, a young woman named Sierra was told that she could not participate in her planned Birthright-Israel (Taglit) program, because she was planning to go on a tour of the West Bank with Birthright Unplugged subsequent to her trip to Israel.(Hebrew article original here, my translation here)I have had a number of friends take the free Taglit trip, then go work (or tour) in the West Bank

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1149696872153784272006-06-07T12:11:00.000-04:002006-06-07T12:16:03.216-04:00

Someone in the Bush administration (who no one knows about) seems to be doing some good: homeless get housed."Many of the early starters are reporting turnarounds. In Philadelphia, street dwellers have declined 60 percent over five years. In San Francisco, the number of the chronic homeless is down 28 percent in two years, in Dallas 26 percent and in Raleigh-Durham, N.C., 15 percent."On the other

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1149184731078181762006-06-01T13:51:00.000-04:002006-06-01T13:58:51.806-04:00

Menachem Kline writes today in a Ha'aretz op-ed about the difference between the Hamas political platform and its charter, noting that while the charter is 'theological', the platform is 'operational' (I think 'pragmatic' is a better word).He also points out interesting contradictions in the internal debate within the organization and comments about the relation between the Hamas platform and the

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1149184183765403002006-06-01T13:39:00.000-04:002006-06-01T13:49:43.920-04:00

Meron Benvenisti, who is usually pretty rational and who I generally consider a good source of analysis, has written a rather conspiratorial op-ed in Ha'aretz today. He argues that both the approval of the family reunification law and the recent decision to expel Hamas MP's from East Jerusalem are both attempts to prepare the Israeli public for similar racist 'legal' actions in the future.I

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1149183466419689942006-06-01T13:35:00.000-04:002006-06-01T13:37:47.576-04:00

Good NY Times article on Muslims being harassed and intimidated at US airports.

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1149114412791797892006-05-31T18:26:00.000-04:002006-06-01T01:32:19.446-04:00

Ha'aretz has come out very strongly in the last couple of days in favor of beginning dialog with Hamas. This opinion relies on the Prisoners' Declaration, which offers a plan for Palestinian unity and a basis for a Palestinian goverment of national unity's negotiation positions. These are negotiating positions, and thus are open to discussion. They are not final declarations.Israel's demand that

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1149098407615060922006-05-31T13:52:00.000-04:002006-05-31T14:00:08.726-04:00

The Israeli army has demolished a large number of outhouses in the South Hebron Hills region.I spent quite a bit of time in this area last year when working with the International Solidarity Movement in the West Bank. It is probably the poorest area of the West Bank, with many dwellers living in caves rather than homes. The residents are subject to daily attacks by settlers (see ISM reports

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1149097921970346202006-05-31T13:46:00.000-04:002006-05-31T13:52:02.213-04:00

According to Madeleine Bunting, suicide bombers are motivated primarily by sexual repression. In other news, home demolitions and collective punishment are motivated primarily by micro-penises.Israel|Palestine|Suicide Bombing|Sex|Sexual Repression|Islam|Guardian

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1149097564226335252006-05-31T13:28:00.000-04:002006-05-31T13:46:04.310-04:00

The Zimbabwean government looks likely to pass a law, called the Interception of Communications Bill, that will allow it to "monitor cyber and telephony activities of individuals “suspected of threatening national security”". This is a much more powerful law than the recent scandal regarding the Bush administration's spying on phone calls, etc. I wonder if the NY Times will have a 3000-word

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1149005721133072892006-05-30T12:11:00.000-04:002006-05-31T13:44:00.726-04:00

Wonderful post over at Acoustic Motorcycle. Reproduced here for your reading pleasure...Punchbag ChandelierThere are some days I am so angry, I think I could punch someone’s teeth in. Like today, standing in the queue to buy some bread, the man in front of me was busy on his cell phone. Tall and slim, dressed in a suit, I recognised his face from the papers as a Zanu PF Member of Parliament. He

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148957724735131242006-05-29T22:49:00.000-04:002006-05-29T22:55:25.026-04:00

Zionists constantly claim that Arabs are given equal rights and opportunities in Israel, just as Republicans (and many Democrats) claim that African-Americans are given equal rights and equal opportunities in the US. In practice, of course, this is not so. When various faults with this argument are pointed out, both groups resort to 'well, Arabs/African-Americans live better in Israel/US than

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148956003308726772006-05-29T22:26:00.000-04:002006-05-29T22:26:43.583-04:00

From the Washington Post: In the Village of Nowhere, a Fate Soon SealedIsrael|Palestine|Washington Post|Home Demolition|Jerusalem|West Bank|Apartheid

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148922318468472442006-05-29T13:04:00.000-04:002006-05-29T13:05:18.716-04:00

Between prisoners and captives - Haaretz - Israel NewsIsrael|Palestine|Right of Return|Refugees|Ha'aretz

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148921595327306962006-05-29T12:48:00.000-04:002006-06-05T12:25:43.330-04:00

The National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education voted today to recommend a boycott of certain Israeli academics and institutions. Here is a summary of press coverage, in Israel and beyond. I'll update this post as more comes in.Ha'Aretz:Article(bizarre) CommentaryArticleOp-EdArticle on Israeli scientists' response to boycottPro-Boycott Op-Ed (by Gideon Levy - a must-read)

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148917141002339732006-05-29T11:34:00.000-04:002006-05-29T11:39:02.476-04:00

Iraqi MP's have voted to give themselves two new cars each, at a minimum cost of $27.5 million. They've agreed on nothing else...how nice.Iraq|Corruption

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148858423412641582006-05-28T19:20:00.000-04:002006-05-28T19:22:21.590-04:00

Thanks to Hali over at Living Out of Boxes, I found this awesome post at Pharyngula. I'm surprised no one has thought of this before. HTML is a hierarchical language, and therefore any web page is suitable to conversion to a tree. Color different tags and tag-sets in different colors and you get something visually meaningful. Coolness embodied :)Anyway, here is the graph of this blog (prior

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148855850769723332006-05-28T18:37:00.000-04:002006-05-28T18:41:40.710-04:00

Here's another translation. Original here. This time I'll comment at the end of it as well.What is the Alternative?Pini Midan-Sheni warns against the haste to make the Hamas government collapse. It might be to their benefit.The job of Prime Minister in the Palestinian Authority (PA) is a relatively new one, that was born at the behest of the European Union and with the support of the Quartet.

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148741901436193122006-05-27T10:42:00.000-04:002006-05-27T10:58:51.933-04:00

"Then I felt a powerful electric shock. I became rigid and noises came from my mouth. I collapsed. Then they lowered me again into the water. The next thing I remember was waking up in the Hall, with all of my clothes on except for my underwear. I could not move. Another detainee lying next to me was patting me on my back. There was a tube in my arm and a bag of saline hanging on a stand. At

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148740430634503252006-05-27T10:27:00.000-04:002006-05-27T10:34:44.036-04:00

A phenomenal piece by Joseph Al'Ghazi in Ha'aretz magazine this weekend. This is hella long, so I'm pretty happy it appeared in English as well as Hebrew..."In the letters, I described something of our experiences, always careful not to give away "military secrets." After I finished reading Chaplin's book, I allowed myself to quote from it, in free translation, a few lines from the famous speech

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148596158380931132006-05-25T18:29:00.000-04:002006-05-25T18:29:18.386-04:00

Human rights for security - Haaretz - Israel News

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148583347368191422006-05-25T14:39:00.000-04:002006-05-25T14:55:47.376-04:00

Original here. Compare this article to remarks made by Ehud Olmert today:"Jerusalem will be our's forever, singular and undivided [...] There is no and never has been any other home [...] Between us and Jerusalem there is a binding pact, that will never be violated."My JerusalemFor Hamas man Abu Tir Jerusalem Day [1] represents only the Occupation5/25/2006Jerusalem is everything to me: it's the

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148498534580674912006-05-24T15:02:00.000-04:002006-05-24T15:25:35.256-04:00

Six years ago today, Israeli forces withdrew from Southern Lebanon, closing an 18-year period marked by thousands of deaths and countless injuries. Two op-eds appeared in the Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv today about the subject, one by the right-wing Efi Eitam and one by the center-left Yossi Beilin. Below are translations of both. Eitam's article in Hebrew is here, and Beilin's is here.Leaving

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148488687104684622006-05-24T12:11:00.000-04:002006-05-24T12:42:26.260-04:00

During the insane row over the anti-Muslim Danish cartoons, an Iranian newspaper held a competition to find the best anti-Semitic cartoon and an Israeli group responsed with holding their own anti-Semitic cartoon contest. At the time Iran claimed, just like the right-wing Danish paper that published the original cartoons, that it was 'testing the limits of freedom of speech'. All fine and good,

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148420672471463642006-05-23T17:41:00.000-04:002006-05-23T17:46:04.566-04:00

Man, does Olmert look like someone whacked him over the head with a baseball bat and then painted the bump black with a sharpie or what?Israel|Bush|Olmert

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148401999588447312006-05-23T12:22:00.000-04:002006-05-23T12:33:19.590-04:00

The margins of politics, both on the left (street-wise anyway) and the right seem to be gaining in the France. Scary bastard Jean-Marie Le Pen is polling at 22%!I won't be the first to point out that Monsieur Le Pen is also a pro-Israeli anti-semite...France|Le Pen|Right-wing|Nationalism|Israel|Anti-semitism

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148400656909969332006-05-23T12:02:00.000-04:002006-05-23T12:15:18.363-04:00

This guy, Judge Arthur L. Hunter Jr. is granting New Orleans prisoners who cannot afford lawyers their freedom. The aim is to attack the Louisiana public defender system, which according to the NY Times "forces poor people to pay for the system".Awesome!New Orleans|Prisons|Prisoners|Public Defenders|Louisiana

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148400140527749672006-05-23T11:53:00.000-04:002006-05-23T12:02:20.540-04:00

In the middle of a rather silly ultra-humanist article in the NY Times today, Sabrina Tavernise points out some interesting stats about life in Iraq right now:"The number of acutely malnourished children has more than doubled, to 9 percent in 2005 from 4 percent in 2002, according to a report based on figures from the Planning Ministry that was released this month.Homelessness has spread since

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148316784413088722006-05-22T12:41:00.000-04:002006-05-22T12:55:41.440-04:00

Another translated article from Ma'ariv. The original is here.Expulsion is not a Dirty Word - By Moshe ZimmermanMoshe Zimmerman explains why the 'kindly souls' [1] on the left didn't object to the evacuation [of Gaza], and also puts forth a solution that will enable coexistence.Forty years too late, the Israeli government came to the conclusion that indeed it should not uncompromisingly stick to

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148311143492503932006-05-22T11:14:00.000-04:002006-05-22T11:20:26.103-04:00

An interesting article appeared in the NYTimes today about Nagin's election victory. a lot of people assume that NOLA voting is determined almost purely on racial lines. A little paragraph from the article appears to contradict this:"Voting along racial lines may be a tradition here, but it is not how Mr. Nagin was elected the first time. In 2002, his first step into politics, he was supported

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148310035316418912006-05-22T10:58:00.000-04:002006-05-22T11:01:59.283-04:00

"One of those seriously injured was Zimbabwe National Students Union Secretary General Beloved Chiweshe. He said, “The treatment was quite bad. We were beaten thoroughly with clenched fists, baton sticks, wooden sticks. We were asked to roll on the ground and imitate intimate acts. Even our female comrades were asked to lie on the ground and they were assaulted on their backs with baton sticks

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148227650132817132006-05-21T12:05:00.000-04:002006-05-22T14:02:13.896-04:00

This appeared in Hebrew here. I thought it would be interesting to translate the article:Mr. Occupation Saw the LightWith his own hands and orders Brigadier General Ilan Paz deepened the suffering in the Occupied Territories. Surprisingly, the political realization and moral insight broke through moments after he returned his equipment. And he's not the first..."Nothing good can come out of the

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148224376244004802006-05-21T11:10:00.000-04:002006-05-21T11:16:29.063-04:00

NYTimes article today on the Iraqi police force:"One result was a police captain from North Carolina having 40 Americans to train 20,000 Iraqi police across four provinces in southern Iraq."(In case anyone doesn't know this yet, you can get a login to NYTimes (as well as many other sites) at http://www.bugmenot.com)Iraq|Police|war|NY Times

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148160621891112722006-05-20T17:17:00.000-04:002006-05-20T21:03:22.230-04:00

A wonderful article in Harper's June edition. It's not up on their website yet, but here's an image pdf of it. Drop me a note if you want a text pdf.A quote from it:"Am I allowed to write that I would like to hunt down George W. Bush, the president of the United States, and kill him with my bare hands?"Check it out...Bush|Freedom of Speech|Harpers

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1148138209538615082006-05-20T10:59:00.000-04:002006-05-20T11:19:30.446-04:00

Check this out.Before I moved to the US, I used to be entirely anti-gun. Since learning more about the self-defense movement here, I've become slightly less so. It seems unlikely to me that civil rights would have been achieved here without the Black Panthers being armed and willing to defend themselves against the brutality of the authorities.Personally, I have no desire whatsoever to own a

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1147714245349455612006-05-15T12:36:00.000-04:002006-05-15T13:32:33.450-04:00

The Israeli Supreme Court approved a law yesterday denying West Bank and Gaza Palestinians married to Israeli Palestinians residence or citizenship in Israel. As the linked Ha'aretz editorial states, this is a disgrace. Moreover, this is yet another grounding of Apartheid by the Israeli 'justice' system."... not one single Western country discriminates against some of its citizens by passing

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1147456512039528552006-05-12T13:50:00.000-04:002006-05-12T13:55:12.040-04:00

A horrific article on This Is Zimbabwe about women's health under the deteriorating conditions in the country:This isn’t simply a story about shortages of yet another type of product. Shortages of sanitary ware go to the heart of women’s rights: it’s an issue which raises questions of whether a woman is forced to stay away from work or school; whether she is putting her health at risk by picking

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1147304716711244502006-05-10T19:43:00.000-04:002006-05-10T19:45:16.716-04:00

An important article, methinks: The Dangers of Misunderstanding Sudan

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1147102736568288562006-05-08T11:35:00.000-04:002006-05-08T11:38:56.576-04:00

I'm in New Orleans for the week, so won't be updating much...We drove down from NC yesterday. Long ass drive.Anyway. Things here are much as they were a couple of months back. Fewer volunteers around, still working like crazy to get this city back together. There's a much more depressed feeling in the air than there was seven weeks ago when I was last here. A bunch of nasty stuff went down

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1146929572209762992006-05-06T11:24:00.000-04:002006-05-06T11:44:30.400-04:00

"The South African government has discarded as “manifestly unfounded” claims of human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.""Zimbabwe state security agents stepped up the use of torture against civilians with 19 cases of torture reported in the month of March alone against only three cases recorded the previous two months, the Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum (ZHRF) said this week."This post is summarized from

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1146874194789336612006-05-05T20:00:00.000-04:002006-05-05T20:12:20.653-04:00

I haven't had a chance to listen to/read these yet, but my friend Robin recommended I post Daniel Barenboim's 2006 Reith lectures. So here they are.For any of you who have no idea who Barenboim is, he's a classical pianist and composer who has been working towards peace in Palestine/Israel for many years. He regularly holds concerts in Ramallah and worked a lot with Edward Said when he was

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1146858342322437082006-05-05T15:12:00.000-04:002006-05-05T17:02:10.856-04:00

For once, the US seems to be taking the criticism levelled at it over torture seriously. They've sent 30 officials to go talk to the UN Committee Against Torture in Geneva, who've been pressing them for ages to come have a little chat.I'm really not sure why the US chose this particular time to do this, and why they're suddenly taking all this seriously when they've mostly poo-poo'ed it up until

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1146845931677101262006-05-05T11:23:00.000-04:002006-05-05T17:05:09.210-04:00

Local elections in England seem to have produce few shocks. Labor lost 19 councils, while the Conservatives gained 11. Pretty much as expected. The slight rise of the fascist British National Party (BNP) in a couple of councils is a temporary populist protest vote and is unlikely to be repeated:"It is not that people who vote BNP are all racist, those who vote Green all rabid environmentalists

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1146783284043476432006-05-04T18:51:00.000-04:002006-05-05T17:06:47.030-04:00

Olmert, as well as a number of MK's from the left have condemned Liebermans comments. Barakah (from Hadash) called him a neo-Nazi. This isn't really helpful...Anyway, most evil picture ever (this is Lieberman):Palestine|Politics|Racism|Israel

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1146770012689093182006-05-04T15:00:00.000-04:002006-05-05T17:08:00.560-04:00

Interesting post on United We Blog! for a Democratic Nepal here about the current activities of the Maoists in Nepal. Comments mostly call for the disarmament of the Maoists prior to their participation in government or in a constituent assembly.However, I assume that English blogs from Nepal are dominated by the educated midde class. It's difficult to gauge how much support the Maoists really

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1146755470946715842006-05-04T10:38:00.000-04:002006-05-05T17:11:40.096-04:00

Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home) party has called for the trial and execution of Arab members of Knesset.'Oh you know, one head of one small party doesn't prove anything....'Sure. But when that party has eleven seats in the Knesset, making only one seat smaller than the Likud and Shas, and when a party (the National Union) which has pretty much identical

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1146711296640101802006-05-03T22:54:00.000-04:002006-05-05T17:13:47.380-04:00

Settlers in Hebron have been attacking Palestinians for years. Recently, they've been attacking 75 year old human rights workers. But this is ridiculous.By the way, the Jewish settlement in Hebron will be left in its place under Olmert's 'consolidation plan' if Sharon's legacy is to be followed, as:"The Bush letter did not grant US recognition or legitimacy to any specific Israeli settlements

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1146692154410214982006-05-03T17:35:00.000-04:002006-05-03T23:11:13.120-04:00

According to this, leftist candidates are trailing in polls both in Peru (second round of elections: June 4th) and in Mexico (elections: July 2nd), though in both cases polls are pretty close.In Mexico, we have Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a left-winger running for the PRD, a breakoff group from the old ruling party, the PRI. According to most accounts, Obrador (or AMLO as he seems to be

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1146678466357554732006-05-03T13:47:00.000-04:002006-05-03T13:47:46.396-04:00

By any standards, that's a pretty strong statement to make, and one I agree with wholeheartedly. What is surprising, though is that it came from Yossi Sarid, former member of Knesset from Meretz. Since retiring from politics last year, Sarid has been writing regularly in Ha'aretz. Most of his stuff is rather mundane and center-leftish, but this article is outstanding and very much worth

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1146671132587680272006-05-03T11:15:00.000-04:002006-05-03T11:46:16.433-04:00

One can argue the case of Sami Al-Arian endlessly. What seems certain is that he was pressured into admission of some of the charges against him in order to get out of jail and back to his family as soon as possible. That, of course, has now been thrown back in his face. However, there was some semblence of a legal process, however dubious it was.In this case, on the other hand, there has been

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1146627286495420422006-05-02T23:29:00.000-04:002006-05-02T23:34:46.503-04:00

Pretty good article here.

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1146602878812224562006-05-02T16:47:00.000-04:002006-05-02T17:22:18.513-04:00

It seems I'm not the only one seeing the potential for similarity between Nepal and Zimbabwe: Eddie Cross, a white member of the Zimbabwean opposition Movement for Democratic Change, agrees.Despite an almost total lack on international news coverage, there have been some emerging resistence movements in Zimbabwe. More to come in the next couple of days...Update: more of the same (Nepal-Zimbabwe).

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1146594731179909582006-05-02T13:14:00.000-04:002006-05-02T16:37:35.050-04:00

Well bugger me sideways. The Middle East quartet for doing anything the US says is considering withdrawing from the Roadmap for Peace. They're questioning whether there's any point doing mediation with the new Israeli government heading towards more unilateral moves. Sounds like another 'let's let Israel do whatever the hell it wants' move.Much has been said by many in the last year or so

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27387108.post-1146516242460172662006-05-01T15:53:00.000-04:002006-05-01T16:44:02.470-04:00

Hey everyone, welcome to my new blog, 17 Fish Invaded Estonia. No idea where that title came from, but hey, what's new?I'll be writing mostly about 'political' issues, from Nepal to Zimbabwe, through Palestine and New Orleans.Some thoughts for today:The New Black Panther Party showed up on Duke's campus today, as yet more fallout from the Duke lacrosse rape case. These guys were mostly just

Rannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500705550771570013noreply@blogger.com4