We seem to be lucky enough to have McGeough on board a boat in the Freedom flotilla. The level of reporting in Australia because of this is very good. You can get the latest from McGeough at link. The link at the Herald also includes a video. As well as that link you can get a [...]
Archive for May, 2010
Hamas and the Flotilla
May 31, 2010
The following is from the Palestine Chronicle site at link At least 20 people were killed in the attack and more than 50 others were wounded. “The Palestinian government honors the convoy’s effort to break the siege,” Palestine’s democratically elected Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said in a statement.
People in the Flotilla killed
May 31, 2010
The following is the full SMH report. Time does not permit editing at the moment as the news is happening on a minute by minute basis. That is the reason for posting the full report from the SMH at link. There is also a radio type transmission from McGeough, who is on one of the [...]
View Freedom Flotilla Videos
May 30, 2010
Now available on the net is a video service to actually watch the Freedom Flotilla, in some cases live and an archive of previous videos as well.. The sight is called WitnessGaza and you can go there via this link. If you consider this an important event and not as has been described by a Herald [...]
Obama, US policy-the past and future
May 30, 2010
US Foreign Policy has been the subject of analysis, condemnation, praise, dismay all sorts of dissections and assessments. In an article Dilip Hiro takes a very good look at many decisions and fairly confidently declares that the American century is over (link) an opening point is that,” Obama’s propensity to retreat at the first sign [...]
More on the Gaza Freedom flotilla
May 29, 2010
There has been some reporting in this country about the Freedom Flotilla. But given the importance of the event and the amount of foreign participation in the event the new is very scant. That does not mean that it should have foreign participation for it to have credibility or interest as a news item. Gilad [...]
Israel Gaza and lies
May 29, 2010
In a recent article at the Sabbah site by Yousef Munayyer there is a very interesting observation as follows (link),There comes a point when an oppressive regime’s propaganda crosses a threshold from mere lies to utter lunacy so extreme, in fact, that objective onlookers find it almost comical. This point came yesterday when the Government [...]
The Israel-South Africa Nuclear Position
May 28, 2010
There is a growing story about whether or not Israel was proposing to supply or sell nuclear arms to apartheid South Africa. There have been denials to the extent that there are no Israeli documents or documents with an Israeli signature witnessing such an agreement. To some extent the news story was first aired by [...]
Is US influence waning in the Middle East?
May 28, 2010
An interesting article by Sami Moubayed, is well worth reading. It is available at link. It concerns the recent dealings between Turkey, Brazil and Iran. Even if the US can intervene in a significant way it shows that the US and its previously unassailable position in the area needs to do some major rethinking.Moubayed commences [...]
Throwing Shoes
May 28, 2010
You may remember the incident when Al Zaidi threw a shoe st George W. The RealNews has a series of three videos that go into the whole incident and also the aftermath for Al Zaidi.(link) (George Ikners ikners.com Joomla)
Priests and Celibacy
May 28, 2010
An article in the Guardian (link) deals with an interesting topic. The basic element discussed relates to the fact that,” Dozens of Italian women who have had relationships with Roman Catholic priests or lay monks have endorsed an open letter to the pope that calls for the abolition of the celibacy rule. The letter, thought [...]
Nuclear dealings Israel, Iran. South Africa Korea.
May 28, 2010
Jeff Gates has written a very good article that can be viewed at link. It deals with the relationship between Israel and the US and other matters involving Israel and South Africa in the past. Gates is,” a widely acclaimed author, attorney, investment banker, educator and consultant to government, corporate and union leaders worldwide, Jeff [...]
Two views on Israel and the flotilla and the boycot
May 28, 2010
You could be forgiven for thinking that a recent SMH article about the Elvis Costello decision was naïve at least and perhaps quite shameful. It is all a matter of each person’s view about the value of a boycott and to some extent about Israel itself. You may think that a boycott is a [...]
NAPLAN – Implications and analysis
May 27, 2010
I received an email from a friend who has been a teacher for about 40 years. It concerns NAPLAN and I have decided to post it in full to this page. Whilst I may or may not have different views about some of the contents it is an excellent approach to a topic of importance [...]
Jerusalem- dig it
May 27, 2010
In the Guardian there is a very interesting article on a “dig” taking place in Jerusalem. The consequences of what is being done by the Israelis are very significant and shows the Israeli intent to make Jerusalem a theme park for their religious beliefs, whoever it may affect. The article (link) commences in this [...]
Racism in the past present and future
May 26, 2010
Robert Lansing (October 17, 1864 – October 30, 1928) was a Legal Advisor to the State Department at the outbreak of World War I where he opposed Britain’s policy of blockade and he was in favor of the principles of freedom of the seas and the rights of neutral nations. He was United States Secretary [...]
The car rules ok
May 26, 2010
For those of you who pay ever increasing amounts for petrol and get crammed into overloaded rail carriages the US example is worth considering. The following is a quote from 501, the author is Noam Chomsky. Unfortunately I am not able to pinpoint who Chomsky is quoting but it says,“One dramatic example is the “Los [...]
The Ocean and ecology- Jeremy Jackson
May 26, 2010
For those interested in the environment there are several videos available where Jeremy Jackson from the Scripps talks in a very commonsense way and logically describes what is happening in the oceans around the world. There is a video at link that quite comprehensively deals with the ravages to coral reefs, the fish population, the [...]
The Arctic – Oil and Degradation
May 25, 2010
There have been two different postings to the Tomdispatch site about the Arctic and oil. Both are virtually required reading if you are interested in what the future holds for this area and the ultimate reaction to going there and taking whatever can be taken in the name of the growth economic, profit and privileged [...]
Iran and the lost election
May 25, 2010
There is a very recent article in the Australian by Sally Neighbour and it deals with an interview with two young Iranian men now living in Australia. You can view the whole article at link. What is being shown through these two men is just how corrupt and bad authoritarian top down systems can be. [...]
The Two State Solution
May 25, 2010
There is another good article at the Palestine Chronicle site you may like to consider. Written by Jeremy R. Hammond, who is an independent journalist and editor of Foreign Policy Journal, an online source for news, critical analysis, and opinion commentary on U.S. foreign policy. He was among the recipients of the 2010 Project Censored [...]
The Gaza Freedom Flotilla
May 25, 2010
There is a further article to add to the material in the article on this page about the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, as it is becoming known. In an article by, Ron Forthofer a retired professor of biostatistics, who contributed an article to the Palestine Chronicle (link), Forthofer observes that,” Turkey has moved from close [...]
Iran and Nuclear considerations
May 24, 2010
At the Al Jazeera site there is a rather interesting article by Alan Philps, you can read the entire article at link. What is discussed is the latest attempts by Turkey and Brazil to enter the arena in the middle East as far as Iran is concerned. The nub of what happened is that,” it [...]
The Gaza Flotilla
May 23, 2010
There is a great deal of information available at the moment about what has been called a “Freedom Flotilla” to Gaza. An article in the SYdney Morning Herald (SMH) and and other material is available at link. The link to the SMH is to a video and details what vessels are carrying to Gaza it includes [...]
Rethinking and looking back on Afghanistan
May 23, 2010
Ramzy Baroud the editor of the Palestine Chronicle and the author of My Father was a Freedom Fighter has his own website at link. He has posted an article that commences with,” When former US President George W. Bush left the White House, he left behind one of the most unpleasant legacies in history. He [...]
The British and Global interests in Afghanistan
May 22, 2010
The UK position on Afghanistan seems to be getting some fine tuning. Consider the following from Guardian article at link, “Former military chiefs urged ministers to clarify their approach as a matter of urgency after Liam Fox, the defence secretary, said he wanted troops out “as soon as possible” and insisted that British soldiers were [...]
The Liberal Labor Dance Party
May 20, 2010
The following is a quote from the NY Times today.”Nagging worries that Europe’s debt crisis will spread, compounded by uncertainties over financial regulation on both sides of the Atlantic, have set investors the world over on edge.” It is only a short quote but you may think it says a lot. Perhaps it also signals [...]
Motives and actions in Israel and Palestine
May 20, 2010
Today an article appeared at the al Jazeera site at link. It is written by Sami Moubayed (who)is editor-in-chief of Forward Magazine in Syria. Moubayed deals with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and what seem to be his aims anf goals in the area. The article commences with a comment about a recent photograph [...]
Some interesting Facts
May 20, 2010
Here are some interesting Facts or statistics about US armed strength.Bear in mind that there are still more but this is a good starting point. They are contained in a Tomdispatch article at link. The figures about carrier ships is the starting point but read on if you like. The U.S. operates 11 large [aircraft] carriers, [...]
More money, more lives to corrupt Afghan causes
May 20, 2010
A video available at the RealNews site concerns the upcoming vote in the US, where $33+ billion is being sought for the continued invasion and aggression in Afghanistan by the US and very ably supported by lapdogs like our own country; as well as the Nato nations with extremely vested interests to look after in [...]
A message from Elvis Costello
May 20, 2010
It is after considerable contemplation that I have lately arrived at the decision that I must withdraw from the two performances scheduled in Israel on the 30th of June and the 1st of July. One lives in hope that music is more than mere noise, filling up idle time, whether intending to elate or lament. [...]
Babooms
May 19, 2010
For those of you like me who were born in the 1950s, like me, or just after the war I understand your frustration and probable anxiety in becoming a ‘baboom’. That is my term for a baby boomer. It seems that we are now being blamed for matters from quadrupling dementia to superannuation problems and [...]
Travelling when you are Chomsky
May 19, 2010
As a further note to a recent posting to this site you may find the following portion of an Haaretz article interesting. It deals with the questions Chomsky was asked as he tried to get to Bir Zeit. He was eventually refused entry and he was later interviewed by Haaretz. Some of the questions and [...]
Making Iran as evil as possible
May 19, 2010
The position with Iran and those who wish to cast all who live there as evil creatures lusting after the rest of the world’s possessions and blood is continuing unabated. A recent article by Robert Parry who,” broke many of the Iran-Contra stories in the 1980s for the Associated Press and Newsweek. His latest book, [...]
Re Gaza A breath of fresh air with the usual stale stuff as well
May 19, 2010
We should put what follows as a breath of fresh air. The stale tired air left has not escaped or been put to rest. If you look at what the EU is reported to have said as well as the US you can see the true extent of cringing cowardice in dealing with human deprivation [...]
Chomsky and entry to Ramallah
May 18, 2010
A recent article at the Palestine Chronicle site contains an important piece of information. “Many reported that Noam Chomsky was recently stopped from entering Israel. This is false. Totally false. He was prevented from going to the Palestinian city of Ramallah by Israeli forces. This important distinction highlights among other things that Israel controls the [...]
A Fool Is always Elected
May 18, 2010
What a display of combined silliness. The election game is starting to heat up and it’s the time when the system plays its greatest tricks on a hapless population. Essentially there is really one party with two factions. Labor and Liberal. Both parties have a common history of having betrayed the worker or common person [...]
Palestine Israel Indirect Peace Talks
May 16, 2010
Abdel Bari Atwan has continued with a further article on the Indirect Peace Talks. You can read the article at link . It commences with a warning in the following terms,” Now the Palestinian negotiators are attending talks without a meeting of the Palestine National Council or the Central Committee. There was a meeting of [...]
Palestine Day
May 16, 2010
At the Al Jazeera site there is an article by Leila Diab (who) is (an) educator and freelance Journalist. It contains the following view,” On Palestine Day, many will remember the ongoing stories of great sacrifices, struggles of the Palestinian people, and more importantly, identify and celebrate the Palestinian people’s rich cultural heritage imbued with [...]
End of the Line for fish, the hook gets us all
May 16, 2010
There is a really good documentary around at the moment. One of the movie houses had it on for a very limited time. It seems it may be available on DVD at the moment. To check this out you can go to the site of the documentary called, End Of The Line, at link. There is a [...]
An interview with Atzmon on Israel and the Palestinians
May 16, 2010
Recently Gilad Atzmon was interviewed and he has put that interview on his site.( at link.) He is an exceptionally competent Jazz musician now based in the UK, and often writes about the difficulties in Palestine. Articles by Atzmon have been referred to on this page on many occasions. There is also a link to [...]
Anarchists, Palestine and Israel Reports
May 15, 2010
For the sake of this article I am including the complete message contained in an a-infos article that is available by subscription to the site at link. Subscription is free. The messages you receive are part of an anarchist News Service and often contain on the spot accounts on an almost daily basis of what [...]
Indirect Peace Talks Israel and Palestine
May 12, 2010
Bari Atwan has written a very interesting article that is available on his own site. The whole article can be found at link, the article is titled, “Indirect Peace Talks – Stalling for Time”. It relates to what seems to be happening in the Middle East as far as a peace initiative in Palestine is [...]
Afghanistan Marja and Deception
May 12, 2010
The following quote is from an article at the Guardian site,” Progress in Afghanistan has been slower than the Obama administration had expected, undermining the US timetable for the transfer of responsibility for security to Afghan forces and allowing withdrawal of US troops to begin. US officials predict a large American and Nato military presence [...]
Arundhati Roy Interview
May 11, 2010
At the moment there is a video interview with Arundhati Roy on the Realnews site. You can view it at link. Roy talks about her views and what is happening in India at the moment. Particularly with those she refers to as in the fight against corporate takeovers of land, water and other resources. However, [...]
Hiding Israel’s Nuclear Weapons
May 11, 2010
The Israeli position with nuclear weapons and materials keeps growing and perhaps much more is being disclosed or maybe the concealment is becoming more obvious. At the Sabbah site there is an article by, Grant F. Smith(who) is the author of the Spy Trade: How Israel’s Lobby Undermines America’s Economy . He is a frequent [...]
Israeli ‘secrets’ we all know about
May 11, 2010
There is yet another article of interest at the Al Jazeera site. It is titled,” Nukes and Temples and is written by Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich (who) is an independent researcher and writer with a focus on U.S. foreign policy and the role of lobby groups in influencing U.S. foreign policy. She is a peace activist, essayist [...]
More on Lebanon and the Palestinians
May 10, 2010
As you can see there is a posting to this site that gives links to the Realnews site and videos concerning Lebanon. To add to whatever you may feel is the picture that emerges from seeing those videos there is an article by Franklin Lamb at link at the Palestine Chronicle site. The article is [...]
More on Israel and Palestine
May 10, 2010
Further material regarding the Israel/Palestine peace prospects can be seen at the Palestine Chronicle site. Uri Avnery responds to the speech by Professor John J. Mearsheimer. In large measure Avnery disagrees with a person he obviously has a great deal of respect for. The point of the article is this concept of the two state [...]
Must watch video re Elton John
May 10, 2010
If you have any interest in the Palestine position you must watch this video. It is short and about Elton John and an upcoming concert. video Perhaps for the sake of the Palestinians it could become a classic.