I’m with ritzl. What you posted is in fantasyland. It’s a fantasy island, albeit without the fun, conceived by Israel to be constructed by possibly China and Saudi Arabia. The island would need to be CONSTRUCTED, since it does not exist. Israel will pay for nothing. It is a plan floated to distract from the reality in Gaza. A project like that would take at least a decade, even if it were more than simply a pretty lie.
It’s like this: http://www.news.com.au/travel/world-travel/middle-east/bold-plan-for-6-billion-artificial-island-off-the-gaza-strip/news-story/e0c5d2b468ec9747da3a109a1a4808b3
“Distorted images lead to injustice.” Indeed. Last night in Vancouver a group of Syrian refugees were pepper sprayed at a Muslim community centre at a celebration to welcome them. Children were overcome, adults were temporarily blinded as they choked on the potent spray.
We’re bringing Valentino’s Ghost and Michael Singh to the Vancouver JUST Film Festival. It has been chosen to close the festival Saturday February 13th, with discussion and reception to follow.
You can arrange a screening in your cities too. This is an important film.
Acknowledgement is the first step toward reconciliation. The state of Israel’s official self-examination always turns up the same results: the tiny, brave country surrounded by enemies (some of whom live within its walls.) It is always the victim, always acting out of righteousness, regretting it has to use such force. Because, as all colonizers claim, that is the only thing “they” understand.
To address the question of hope at the end of such a session is mere window dressing. When exceptionalism and paranoia are so institutionalised, there is not much hope for reconciliation, let alone even exchange of ideas.
Exchange of ideas has never encouraged an oppressor to change its ways.
From your lips to God’s ear. I could weep.
An important article. The claim that every time Palestinian tragedies are reported there must me some parallel Israeli point of view permeates North American discourse on the matter. There must always be “balance”–even though the situation is anything but–it is actually heavily asymmetrical as we all know.
“Purity” can be quite a damaging agument.The discourse on intermarriage is yet another place where the notion of “purity” comes into play–and it is often more than a fear of losing rich traditions. Imposing this notion on children can be very damaging indeed. The White Ribbon is one of the most disturbing films on the subject I have ever seen.
One small point: the reference to a Bob Jones University barring Catholics from dating non-Catholics sounds like this was a Catholic pronouncement. It was not. It was a statement from a Bible-based Christian University proscribing its students from dating Catholics and other defined groups. It was an admittedly anti-Catholicism statement, but not anti Catholic. In the “love the sinner, hate the sin” vein, I suppose. The statement, BTW, painted Democratic candidates as “radicals” and also referred to “tenets” as “tenants” in magnificent malapropism.
It has already been performed in Europe and broadcast on British TV without any measurable repercussion. It is the weak excuse of a man afraid of losing funding.
First, the opera is not antisemitic. It may be controversial to portray the two pillars of suffering that the conflict is built upon, but the music and the libretto tries to build a bridge toward reconciliation. In this work, the Captain of the ship is not only at the ship’s bridge, he IS the bridge–although he fails to prevent the violent act. The individual characters are portrayed with compassion and as people with souls.
THe objections began to the original opera long before anyone had seen a production.
Penny Woolcock directed a film version made in 2003 the DVD is a must see for anyone who thinks about this issue. Not an opera fan? No matter. It was filmed on an actual cruise ship in the Mediterranean–it is so gripping that one forgets that it is being sung.THe extras about the making of the film are equally fascinating— the director of the Met needs to take a look at this. Adams speaks about his rationale, the initial controversy, the sensitivity of the fact that it was based on an incident that was a tragedy for a real family.
The notion that the broadcast would stir up antisemitism in Europe is ridiculous– it has been performed there and the film version broadcast on British television.
We will look back on this controversy in years to come and regard it with a similar dismay that we regard protests of presenting The Laramie Project.
Weapons testing in urban settings. A specialty of the IDF. Yotam Feldman’s documentary THe Lab shows that a clear line of fire is not needed. That cool gun that Angelina Jolie used to shoot around corners is not science-fiction. We showed The Lab at a social justice film festival in Canada— the audience found it devastating. I’m sure this news and the discussion around it will remind them.
I’m not sure why it is in any way acceptable for soldiers to shoot unarmed boys even with rubber-coated bullets. But that’s just me.
Ugh. Stories like this make me feel like hiding under the blankets.
Terrorising little girls who ate a few cherries.
Yes, the news is otherwise full of violence but this one gets me, even though the girls were not harmed physically. I can;t even complete what I wanted to say about it.
Psychological terror. That is all.
I weep for humanity.
In Vancouver, the Disappearing Palestine maps were stolen three times from a transit station. The transit authority refused to let any members of the Palestine Awareness Committee see the security camera videos, after confirming the theft. Police did nothing.
It’s not the end of the story– I am guessing the maps will be back. More howling will ensue. More people will become aware. THose maps really bring it home.