Argentina and Uruguay’s tango row
carlos gardel, one of the great figures of argentinian tango, is the source of a serious row between the home of the tango and its neighbouring country, uruguay. the escapades of gardel’s father certainly give lie to the idea that any might have that uruguay might be some kind of staid and sleepy backwater.
adverts are continually appearing in my facebook sidebar: ‘free nintendo wii’ ‘free ipod’ ‘free burma’ ‘free yanchunlin’
which makes me think about commerce and freedom.
The Burma Campaign UK: Free Aung San Suu Kyi
click this link and let the burmese government know you haven’t forgotten
Shinohara Tomoe - Happy Point (via kabongpope)
look and learn
mohammed omer, 2008 recipient of the martha gellhorn prize for journalism. awarding the prize in london, john pilger notes the citation ”Every day, he reports from a war zone, where he is also a prisoner. His homeland, Gaza, is surrounded, starved, attacked, forgotten. He is a profoundly humane witness to one of the great injustices of our time. He is the voice of the voiceless.” follow the link to read the full story.
on his return from the awards ceremony he was held and tortured by the Israeli security organisation, shin bet, attempting to steal the prize money (which wasn’t in his possession) before being allowed to return (only with the intervention of the dutch embassy) to the gaza strip.
ricky gervais features in a new video made to help the burma campaign
here it is:
this woman has been under arrest in her home for the last twelve years and more. she has committed no crime. but she is the democratically elected head of state in Burma. a country where a ruling military gang is systematically destroying its own people. if you’d like to do something about it. go here
Aung San Suu Kyi, is permitted neither visitors from family and friends, nor a phone line. all her mail is censored.
George W. Bush has just visited the uk for the last time as US president. to mark the occasion and for his buddy tony, and for all trigger-happy mass-murdering liars everywhere, here are the lyrics to masters of war by bob dylan. the song was released about forty five years ago. not much changed really. same crap. different bucket.
“Masters Of War”
Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build all the bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks.
You that never done nothin’
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it’s your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly.
Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain.
You fasten all the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion’
As young people’s blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud.
You’ve thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain’t worth the blood
That runs in your veins.
How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I’m young
You might say I’m unlearned
But there’s one thing I know
Though I’m younger than you
That even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do.
Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul.
And I hope that you die
And your death’ll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I’ll watch while you’re lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I’ll stand over your grave
‘Til I’m sure that you’re dead.
i’m not a big fan of the christian sentiments in this song, but it seems apt, seeing that tony and george w are such righteous godfearin souls n all.
