Smart Parking

Falling From Earth

The film is set in 2008, 1990, 1982 and 1975.

Im Telech

Can’t sleep so I’ll share one of my favorite Idan songs.

Nader

So Ralph Nader is running again. Up until now, it had seemed that this representative democracy was fighting to be run by either the product of a very successful marketing campaign or by the policies that are based on politics of fear. Candidates of both parties have been, so far, superb representatives of special interests and lobbyists, crossing so-called bipartisan lines and working together towards the same goal, while stepping all over the constitution.

Unlike what the media after the 2000 election would like to have you believe, Nader is not a “spoiler”. He speaks in the name of the disenfranchised voters, as they are called, who would not have voted had he not been in the race. He caters to a very progressive but tiny base, that has no grand illusions of victory, but a simple request of having its agenda discussed. Whether it’s ending corporate control of Washington and The War On Drugs, repealing NAFTA and The Patriot Act, supporting a more humanitarian foreign policy, reducing America’s addiction to oil or addressing immigration as part of a “worldwide economic justice”… he addresses issues in a way that no other candidate does. Nader represented those who agreed with him when he said that his opponents were “Tweedledee and Tweedledum they look and act the same, so it doesn’t matter which you get“, in reference to Gore and Bush.

Issues that should not even be raised such as abortion, personal faith and a constitutional amendment to gay marriage are often discussed while these topics are ignored. Kucinich and Gravel were deemed a waste of time before their withdrawals and rarely given a platform, and the same goes for Ron Paul right now. Had they been given more time and media attention, issues more essential to the average American might have been raised. Nader will attempt to reframe the issues, and when he made his announcement on Meet the Press, he was quick to justify his right and need to run: “Twenty-four percent of the people are satisfied with the state of the country, according to Gallup. That’s about the lowest ranking ever. Sixty-one percent think both major parties are failing,” he said. “You have to ask yourself as a citizen, Should we elaborate on the issues that the two [parties] are not elaborating [on]?”. Inconvenient or not, I guess this is in defense of any third party candidate. But specially the road trip for Ralph.

Recommendation: Haven’t seen it yet, but this film aims to shed some more light on Nader’s long career.

Obamania

Shepard Fairey

The Date Farmers

Shepard Fairey (famous for his Obey posters plastered everywhere in L.A and the world) and The Date Farmers endorse Obama. They are selling their art online and will be using the proceeds to make more posters for the Obama campaign.Nice, I specially like the Date Farmers’ one, but this is becoming a bit too cultish for my taste.

While I have been Obamatized, excuse me if I’m not an Obamabot, don’t have Obama-rama or an Obasam every time Obamessiah speaks. Granted, I’ll take Obamerica over McCain’s America any day of the week, but can someone ask Obama what kind of change he’s talking about, and how he plans on achieving it?

Break

We haven’t blogged for a while, no reason in particular… We shall be back soon.

On the Streets of L.A

Chase – “Remember who you are”, Santa Monica

Chase – “Remember who you are”, Venice

Tim Biskup, Melrose

Banksy rat, Melrose

Banksy – No More Heroes, Melrose

L.A Bomber, Melrose

Punk girl, Melrose

Life is beautiful, Melrose

Greetings from Finland, La Brea

Muslim girl, Melrose

The Unthinking Majority

From Serj Tankian’s solo album “Elect The Dead”.

Also check out “Empty Walls“, another brilliant video with beautiful music and a strong message; pay close attention to all the details.

He had this to say about “The Unthinking Majority” on his website, emphasis mine:

“The Unthinking Majority” is a song that I needed to release now, before my record or single comes out, to make a statement about the current catastrophe of our failing democracy. It is unlike any other song on my solo record and meant to inspire collective action.
Borders are the gallows of our collective national egos. Subjective lines in the sand, water and air are separating plants, animals, and atmosphere. Fear! Fear is the cause of separation for this imposed illusion, this cordoned off space from pre-birth. When we run out of borders, we reach infinity and unity. As for flags, they’re much less useful than toilet paper. No one has been caused distress by running out of flags. They become useful in times of crisis and unjust manipulative coercions pitting the victim against the victor or vice-versa. Neoliberal globalism is failing due to its underlying imperial ambitions and the discoveries of those sinister ulterior motives. So the ambitions have reawakened for “democracy promotion,” in the past few years.In real terms, that means promoting democracy if and only if it serves imperial ambitions. How about we create a real democracy right here and now! Let’s allow the people to vote for or against a pre-emptive war, universal healthcare, expansion of social security, the Kyoto Protocol, the International Criminal and World Courts, and the role of the United Nations in interventions and reconstruction of devastated lands. Let’s vote for how we want our taxes to be spent, directly. Major referendums discussed and debated thoroughly representing all sides of each issue on television. All empires represent the aristocracy in their imperial ambitions, not the general populace! Also in dire need is a true democracy of nations. The UN Security Council should be dissolved and the General Assembly should rule all international affairs, allowing all nations equal access to the international forum and law. Given the truth, all human beings will collectively choose the direction of this lost, possibly last civilization.

The Rally of Charles Chikhani

La marche de Charles Chikhani

C’est l’appel d’un peuple blessé
Refusant l’absence du fils
Refusant la souffrance de la mère
S’exprimant en silence
Tous de blanc vêtus
Une bougie à la main
Le mercredi 3 Octobre a 20h
Du BIEL à la Place de l’Etoile
Participez à la Marche de Charles Chikhani
Ou éclairez vos fenêtres d’une bougie

The rally of Charles Chikhani

Is a wounded people’s call
Crying out in silence
Refusing the loss of a son
Refusing the suffering of a mother
Inviting us to light a candle
All dressed in white
On Wednesday October 3rd at 8 p.m.
From BIEL to Parliament Square
Come and join the walk of Charles Chikhani
Or light a candle at your window

May you rest in peace, our thoughts are with you and your family.

What are we celebrating exactly?

It’s a little bit surreal to follow the jubilation of the Lebanese in response to the “victory” of the Lebanese army in Nahr el-Bared.To recap: out of nowhere on May 19, the Saniora government decided to fight an “Islamist terrorist group” by the name of Fatah al-Islam, unheard of to most of us prior to the confrontation. Accused of a bank robbery and eventually of an attack on a checkpoint, the government sent about 3,000 poorly-equipped soldiers to fight the militants. Consequently, the whole country was swept by a wave of nationalism; shared even by those living abroad. Innocently enough, nationalism began to be displayed by unifying actions such as collecting donations for the injured soldiers, adding a flower next to one’s display name on messengers, turning on the lights on the balcony at a certain time and the signing of a Lebanese flag in order to honor the soldiers that have died and show support for those who are still in combat.Typical war profiteering followed and was expressed by singers like Assi al-Hilani who filmed a video clip in military attire, and by those who stamped the army logo/slogan on their billboard/advertisement in hopes that their product would become more profitable (some banks are even offering credit cards with a military camouflage design).

“Tislam ya Asskar Lebnan” TV spot

However, soon after, national support turned into blatant racism, general indifference to the plight of the Palestinians (nothing new), and shameless displays of hatred. A benign example of that was the Facebook groups that started to mushroom in order to discuss a deep disgust with Palestinians who “allowed” this to happen and how they should ALL be slaughtered (in fact, a majority of the militants caught are not Palestinian but rather Saudi, Syrian, Pakistani, Algerian, Iraqi, Tunisian and yes, Lebanese).

It never ceases to surprise me how the all-mighty human rights are sacred when it comes to the Lebanese, but how the concept becomes unheard off when it comes to others. Why did it not matter when the Palestinian refugees were collectively punished? How come there has been very little concern for the civilians killed during the combat? How come it didn’t seem to matter that over 30,000 innocent (yes, innocent!) Palestinian refugees were about to become refugees again and again? When the same was happening to Lebanese civilians last summer, we (well, not all of us of course) were outraged, but as the wave of this “war on terrorism” takes a hold of a country, critical thinking seems to be the first victim.

Sadly, democracy and all that it entails such as freedom of the press, that was held on a silver plate during the war with Israel, didn’t mean squat to the Lebanese government or people in this scenario. Journalists were not even allowed to film from any area near the fighting. And when peaceful demonstrators held a sit-in at the southern checkpoint of the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp, soldiers harassed them, took away their banners and criticized the Lebanese citizens involved by brandishing them as unpatriotic (anyone see a pattern here on how to effectively shut people up?)

May those Red Cross volunteers, soldiers and civilians who lost their lives in vain rest in peace

During the fighting, the US placed Fatah al-Islam on its terrorist list and Georges Khoury, the head of the army’s intelligence service, recently reiterated the claim that the Islamists confessed that they have links to Al-Qaida (and Syria of course). Not surprising since every single terrorist group these days, anywhere in the world, is linked to Al-Qaida. And as usual, the opposition had to take part in the blame game and claimed that Fatah al-Islam was funded by the Sunnis, and Harriri nonetheless, in order to deter and oppose the Shias’ rising power. [Another supporter of this theory, linking the US and the Sunnis in this conspiracy].

But why did the government send 163 young soldiers to their death in that camp? Why is no one asking what the real motives were in this battle against Fatah al-Islam? Isn’t the flag-waving part over yet?

And why did it take 3 months of fighting to gain control of the refugee camp that is legally part of the Lebanese territory? Isn’t time to let the army “control” ALL of Lebanon and completely get rid of the 1969 Cairo Agreement?

And while Saniora promised to rebuild the camp that is mostly destroyed now, Palestinian refugees face an uncertain future once again and a very bleak chance of living like their fellow human beings.

Naher el-Bared

Seems to me that integrating Palestinian refugees into Lebanese society and dismantling these states within-a-state the most sensible solution to this problem. Of course, this is only possible in a secular state, but, hey, we can all dream, can’t we?

Visit:

- The Naher el-Bared relief campaign if you would like to help.
- Lebanon support for activities, alerts and human right reports.

“Flags are bits of colored cloth that governments use first to shrink-wrap people’s minds and then as ceremonial shrouds to bury the dead”.