The Wall Street What?

One of the downsides of my job is that I have to keep tabs regularly on ‘respectable publications’ like the Wall Street Journal. Murdoch’s pamphlet hasn’t ceased to add insult to injury with its recent articles.

Eastern Europe’s Responsibility to the World

Whether we are from Eastern Europe or just care for the region, I think it might be our role to see this group of countries in a different light. To leave aside the eternal victimization and point out some of its responsibilities towards the rest of the world. This might play a role not only in creating a more just world, but also in strengthening Eastern Europe itself.

The Ideology of the Romanian Green Ecologist Party?!

The Green Ecologist Party of Romania has two platforms: one asking for complete deregulation and withdrawal of the state from all aspects of economic life. And another one which asks for more regulation of financial markets and governmental intervention to tackle inequality and the activity of corporations. Which is it then? Obviously none, it’s just fun to have a party and why not have it as a green party? Seems pretty neutral and cool and fashionable, even though the guys who run it are neither neutral nor cool nor fashionable.

Upselling in London (Or Palate di Merda)

by Claudia (venting her frustrations)

As many other students in London, I work part-time in a restaurant. Yesterday, I attended a compulsory training on „upselling”, which means, basically, to keep suggesting to customers that they need and want to buy more things — even though they are full or drunk, they could still get more. The whole thing lasted for 2 and a half hours, but it was, from my perspective (not that of the trainer, I am sure) deliriously funny.

 

The New Persepolis

I have seen this in the news yesterday. Two Iranian exiles asked for the permission to use the characters and drawing style of Persepolis from its author, in order to depict the pro-Moussavi demonstrations taking place this month after the elections in Teheran. They want to use the popularity of Persepolis to gather more worldwide sympathy for the anti-Ahmadinejad opposition. 

It is worth noting that the creator of Persepolis, M. Satrapi, gave her approval for this, but she was not involved in conceiving the new cartoons. I was very curious because I really liked Persepolis. 

I was also disappointed, because it is a pretty skematic good vs. evil depiction of what happened around the elections, and makes the people who support Ahmadinejad into an indetermined mass of individuals who don’t think. Things are bound to be more complicated than that, and it’s a pity that it feels that this cartoon could have been drawn by anyone in the West who, say, wants to see Ahmadinejad go down. I doubt it will gather more worldwide support than that of the people who already sympathize with Moussavi. 

Here is the link, it is still an interesting read:
http://www.spreadpersepolis.com/ 

In any case, the problem with its simplicity is not that it criticizes the oppression and the police violence against the demonstrators–that should be criticized. It’s more that, being created by Iranians and not by Europeans or Americans (even if exiles), I would have liked to see the faces of those people who support Ahmadinejad; it’s, regardless of the election results being accurate or not, half of the country. And I would have liked to see a hint of who Moussavi is, apart of this image of apostle of freedom emerging over the last month. In any case, it is good to see the old faces from Persepolis again, though I wonder what those characters would really think and comment in this situation…Maybe they would be on the same side, but with more clever argumentation.

Rosia Montana: The Corporation Never Quits

The background story: Canadian company Gold Corporation wants to build a cyanide-based gold exploitation in a village in Apuseni Mountains, Western Romania. The cyanide pool would replace the whole village, cemetery included. Villagers are relocated a few km away. The gold reserves remaining are exploited in about 10 years, after which the corporation will go away with the profits, leaving just the environmental damage and the destruction of a community behind. Romanian politicians say yes, this is a great idea, it is a foreign investment, it will create jobs, generate income through taxes, etc. Half of the villagers accept jobs from the corporation and sell their houses to Gold. But the other half resists. They want to live in the same place where their parents and grandparents lived, where their families are buried, where they can breathe fresh air. So they put up a fight. In ten years, “Save Rosia Montana” gathered considerable support from Romanians, from regular people, to NGOs and politicians. They started court actions and they achieved success: a law to prohibit cyanide-exploitation has been discussed by the parliament and agreed upon, courts have rejected urbanism plans proposed by Gold, and the Ministry of Culture has rejected the destruction of the village on account of its great archeological richness (Roman ruins).

LIKE A MAN ON EARTH

Since 2003 Italy and Europe have asked Libya to stop the African migrants. What are the Libyan police really doing? What do thousands of African men and women suffer? And why does everybody pretend they do not know about it?
A film produced by Asinitas Onlus in collaboration with ZaLab

Trailer

http://comeunuomosullaterra.blogspot.com/2008/01/since-2003-italy-and-europe-have-asked.html

Synopsis

http://comeunuomosullaterra.blogspot.com/2008/01/synopsis.html

Giving voice to the Ethiopian refugees living in Rome, the film provides a direct insight into the brutal ways in which Libya, aided also by Italian and European funds, is operating to control the immigration movements of people from Africa. Dag used to study Law in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. Prompted by the strong political repression he had to face in Ethiopia, he decides to leave the country. In the winter of 2005 he embarks on a tough land journey, crossing the desert between Sudan and Libya.

On his arrival in Libya, he is soon caught in a web of violence and criminal activities run by the rackets groupcontrolling the routes through the Mediterranean Sea . He then goes from bad to worse, ending up in the hands of the Libyan police, responsible for a series of arrests and mass deportations

The Funkiest Mayday

Rage on stage: Turning Athenians into Romans

 

by Nikolas Kosmatopoulos

Three scenes as a prelude to Greek riots:

Scene no.1:

Around 2000 people are gathered in front of the Greek parliament following a call to a sit-in by the open assembly of the occupied Law University. The atmosphere is serene, people’s chats and scrolls are often accompanied by slogans against police brutality and state violence. Police forces are not in sight. Suddenly a young man takes off half of his clothes, and bends his naked upper body in such a way as to simulate a human being in chains, humiliated: his hands bonded behind his back, his knees folded, his head hitting the floor, his exposed back revealing a tatooed crucified Jesus. In this position screams comes out of his mouth, which is only 3 cm far from the ground: “How does it feel to live an entire life bent like this, how does it feel?”. The relaxed atmosphere is changing at once. People and journalists gather around the young man, a crowd of 15 others follow him suit and uncover their upper bodies, taking the same body posture. The crowd is shocked, electrified, speechless. Heavy silence, reflection, a sudden applause. One girl, part of the crowd, screams back to the bystanders: “Don’t applause, just follow us and see how does it feel by yourself”. Kids with school backs undress… Within seconds, divisions of riot police appear from all directions heading to the spot. The silence is gone, slogans against police vibrate the air allover the parliament. The crowd turns the back to the spontaneous performers and heads towards the police forces angrily. They attack them verbally, demanding they leave immediately. The police retreats in order to re-deploy only meters in front of the ad hoc “stage”. After moments, a new performance takes place: A riot police in full gear is approached by a student with long hair. The student bends in front of him on his knees, remaining there for at least an hour. The police officer fails to look the young man in the eyes and soon both of them are joined by two more “actors”: a 10-year-old Roma child, having his face covered all up with Mallox, the anti-teargas liquid cream, and his right hand dressed with a huge boxing glove, with which he occasionally hits the policeman’s shield. A TV reporter joins in extending his camera so close to the scene, almost intercepting the looks of the youngman and capturing the empty look of the officer. 

Beware!!! The Greek state is restoring order…

Some of the mainstream media, television channels in their majority, have played an important role on how the events, mostly the riots, have been perceived by the Greek public during the last few days. While in the beginning they participated wholeheartedly in the outcry of a fifteen years old killing, they gradually withdrew to playing their traditional role of judging the situation and promoting the mainstream public perspective…