End the slaughter in Gaza now!!!

History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Tonight is the 10th night in a row of the vicious attack on the Gaza strip by the Israeli state. Yesterday saw the horrific act of 4 little boys (aged 9-11) being blown up on the Gaza beach, as if followed by shells, the scene witnessed by western media.

This evenings reports said that there were over 230 deaths, mostly civilians, over the last few days. Just over an hour ago the ground assault started, so the casualty rate is expected to sharply rise. Just now, news comes in that the al-Wafa hospital has been attacked, here is how a witness tells it:

It started just before nine, they started it and it continued every other minute, firing at the hospital. They started on the fourth floor, continued to the third, then from the back of the hospital, then to the side, then to the front, then they cut the electricity, we have fuel everywhere, I don’t know the extent of the damage but it reached a point where my nurses were unable to function, unable to stand, unable to help the patients. So they left the hospital, and right now we are in the process of evacuating my patients to help with them and the handicapped.

When will this senseless killing end? How will it end? Will more people, normal people, stand up and say no, this is not OK? What can we do to stop the slaughter?

Little acts of solidarity are happening, people taking stands, taking to the streets, publicly declaring their solidarity with the Palestinian people. But, it is still just the few. Until the vast majority of us become incensed at the slaughter and the injustice, and with that, stand together to force change… the killing will go on.

Here in Brazil, there does not seem to be to many acts of solidarity. In 2010 Brazil Recognized the State of Palestine, with Pre-1967 Borders, perhaps social movements can build on this? And, just to make clear, this is not an anti Jewish, or anti-semite thing, in case some see it as that. I have Jewish friends and I support all Jews, Muslims, Christians, atheists etc who are against the violence and illegal occupation that is happening in Palestine, including Jewish Voice for Peace, Jewish Boat to Gaza, Dr Norman Finkelstein, Noam Chomsky, Dave Zirin…

This post is to communicate how others around the world are standing up for those in Gaza right now.

Enclosed in that tiny strip of land, “The Gaza Strip”, the worlds largest open air prison, as the bombs rain down and now as the Israeli soldiers move through the streets under cover of darkness, there is nowhere to hide or run to. Imagine the sheer sense of hell that it must feel like. Horrifying. End it now.

Allow the 2 state solution, upon 1967 borders. Allow peace, justice and dignity to exist. The majority of the world wants it, it is only the few that stand in its way, Israel included. It is time to end the carnage.

FREEDOM FOR GAZA, FREEDOM FOR PALESTINE

EU must sanction Israel over its refusal to obey international law and must recognize the State of Palestine

On the eve of World Cup in Curitiba, Opera came to the favela of Vila Torres

An amazing day happened on Sunday 15th of June 2014 in Vila Torres, Curitiba, the day before the city saw its first of four world cup games. Vila Torres is the most central and oldest of the many underprivileged Favelas of the city. Its a tough existence here, people with next to nothing do what they can, despite all the challenges that face them on a day to day existence.

Like all of the city and the country, people love their football. But unlike the more well to do parts of society, the community here had no means to get in on the excitement of the world cup. So the Brazilian student led movement #CheerForPeace decided to change that, to try to bring a little bit of the magic here too. What unfolded was weeks of building a movement, working with the community and pulling together whatever was available or possible to make a truly special day for ALL the football loving fans there. Huge thanks to all who supported, donated, came and shared in the day, hopefully all enjoyed the event. This was just the first of many more events. Huge respect must be given to the extraordinary women behind the local school, the Organização de Desenvolvimento do Potencial Humano (ODPH): Valdimê, Kauann and all the gang… With leadership, strength and love like these remarkably strong and resilient women have, the future will indeed be feminine!

The event was a great success, about 200 kids came, played, made juices from the peddle powered bike machine / juice maker, ate organic vegan food, played football, danced, got their faces painted… And a whole lot more, see the photos below and you will get an idea just how special a day it was.

Canadian students from Alberta and their teacher Nick arrived and donated a whole load of green tops, boots and footballs. Read their reports here: From Canada to the Vila Torres Favela. Also a coach from the local football ground Parana FC kindly came and gave a free training class to anyone who wanted, some great little players in the barrio, both boys and girls.

Equating healthy eating with a party… that’s a first for Vila Torres. A “Great Event with Great Food” (not Junk food) provided generously by the Organic Growers Association of the Mercado Municipal De Curitiba – ASCESME. Special thanks to the amazing chef Igor Oliveira and the man responsible for sorting all the great organic food for the event: Sebastiao Martins Coelho. Although some kids were not too happy, maybe preferring Cola and hot dogs, hopefully the event opened a wider debate about healthy eating, local markets and wider issues of a healthier local economy.

Although word was sent to a host of both local and international media, many of which said they would come to report the event in the favela, only 1 did come to cover the story. Subsequently there has been no reports of any the local or international media. The only communications with the wider world about the goings on, coming from a few brief blog reports by some small groups and individuals. The following day Irish radio did cover the story for 5 minutes on RTE’s Joe Duffy show Liveline.

The unprecedented #CheerForPeace Give&Game Fan Fest for the Rest in Vila Torres, Curitiba closed on a high-note withe beautiful Opera from English-Brazilian artist Penelope belting out a few tunes, Albert hall it mightnt be, but all there felt it was a perfect end to a very special day.

While this event will not “change the world“, hopefully it might lead to connections, processes and movements that will.

#CheerForPeace Give&Game fan Fest – Vila Torres

LINKS:

PHOTOS: #CheerForPeace Give&Game fan Fest – Vila Torres (658 photos) + Eventos (Via Organização de Desenvolvimento do Potencial Humano) + Evento – Cheer for Peace (via Tático – Futebol de Tabuleiro) VIDS: Opera comes to the Vila Torres Favela, Curitiba, Brazil during #WorldCup2014 + Opera in Vila Torres Supporting Groups: Football for kids – Balls of Glory – BATERIAC7 – RPC TV NEXT EVENT: ROCINHA, Rio de Janeiro EVENT INFO: Vila Torres CheerForPeace infos: Brazil + For a greener and socially fair World Cup – #CheerForPeace working with all of Brazil :: TWITTER TAGS: #CWB #worldcup #brazil #brasil #curitiba #everybodyPlays #WorldsFavoriteGame #TodoMundoJoga #futeboldetabuleiro #cheerforpeace #ongODPH

For a greener and socially fair World Cup – #CheerForPeace working with all of Brazil

(Originally posted on June 11 here and here)

The eyes of the world focus on Brazil

Tomorrow the 2014 FIFA World Cup will begin in Brazil, who knows how it will go. Will it be a success, or not? Will they have the stadiums finished in time, or not? Will it be interrupted by violent protests, or not? Will it be a positive thing for the country, or not?

We already have, what has quick become, an iconic image of where much of the feelings in Brazil rest at present. Brazilian artist Paulo Ito posted this mural on the doors of a schoolhouse in São Paulo’s Pompeia a few weeks ago.

Paulo Ito’s mural in São Paulo

#TheIdeaIsToOccupyFacebookWithArt

The idea is to occupy Facebook with art, breaking the monotony of photos of lunch, selfies, and sports. Whoever likes this post will receive an artist and has to publish a piece by that artist with this text.
(English)

La idea es ocupar Facebook con arte, rompiendo la monotonía de las fotos de almuerzo, selfies y deportes. Quien le gusta este post va a recibir un artista y tiene que publicar una obra de ese artista con este texto.
(Español)

Rudra Nayan Das said: you can choose anything you want dedicating it to Tania (my wife), let’s see what can you come up with

So artist: Stewart Brand
“artpiece”: Earth from space, by ATS-3 satellite, 1967

#TheideaistooccupyFacebookwithart #LaideaesocuparFacebookconarte

Bring Che back to Kilkee #HonTheBanner

Bring Che back to Kilkee #HonTheBanner #AnClárAbú #BackTheBanner #CLARE https://www.change.org/petitions/clare-county-council-re-instate-the-iconic-che-guevara-mural Re-instate the mural pic.twitter.com/3VVFqmroKQ

via Annual ‘Che Do Bheatha’ Festival, Kilke  Website here

#Che #AmericanTourists #Clare #kilkee #BackTheBanner

#‎BSF‬ – Borrachos Sin Fronteras – TOUR LATINO ‪#‎Barcelona‬ 2013

#‎BSF‬ – Borrachos Sin Fronteras – TOUR LATINO ‪#‎barcelona‬ 2013

Esta noche hay pob Crowl (pubcrawl differente?) .. Viernes 9 Agosto 2013

Latinoamerica, ruta:

1* (22:00) Brasil c/ample cerca correos.

2* (22:30) Colombia/ shango calle groch 2.

3* (23:00) PERU,calle templars primera calle detras ayuntamiento.

4* (23:30) CHILE calle libretaria cerca a pz Jaume

5* (00:00) ARGENTINA/Sifo en calle espalter 4. raval

6* (00:30) Uruguayo cerca pz.del pedro Raval.

7*(01:0) Venezuela BOMBOM Bar. Carrer de la riera Alta 36/ raval.

Los que puedan con camisa de BORRACHOS Sf
Uhuuu.nos vemos. .asi empezamos la despedida nuestra. porque vamos pronto a ‪#‎Brazil‬ …

Adapt Or Die

Adapt Or Die, Blessed Unrest @ Letterfrack?

(Originally posted on Indymedia Ireland on Friday May 30, 2008)

As a species we are finally waking up to the Climatic crisis that we have stupidly gotten ourselves into. After many years of not listening, people now realise the problem we face: ADAPT OR DIE. Some see the human species as a cancer that should die off, a natural end for a silly species. But others have a vision of a sustainable world, a vision that drives them to think differently, act differently, design differently, live differently. For many its simple little lifestyle changes, for others its nothing short of the next chapter in this unfolding strange story of civilization: the ecological revolution.

Cities as forests : infrastructure and participation (click to enlarge)

DING DONG THE WICKED WITCH IS DEAD – PARTY tonight: Thatcher is dead

PARTY tonight, 8pm: Thatcher is dead, The champagne is open n already flowing in CAT BAR, Barcelona:

CAT BAR party poster at http://t.co/CNi485pE3v

Celebrations tonight in Derry, Belfast, Dublin, North of England, SHEFFIELD, Liverpool, Glasgow, Wales, Chile, Argentina, Brixton,  Barcelona... Updates and discussion here

Mega party this Saturday Trafalgar square…

Here is a selection of resources, vids, views, songs that communicate why it is that she became such a hated figure…

Guided Tour // Street Art (BCN MES – Sunday 24th March)

Duncan Crowley knows Barcelona inside out. After many years guiding fresh-faced visitors around the traditional tourist sites he is branching out and offering a free tour of street art and the rebellious side of the city, his real passion. Drawing on his personal experiences as an indignado and in squats around the city, the tour includes anarchist spaces, stories of the 15-M movement and valuable insight into the politics behind the graffiti, stencils and stickers we see every day.

15h · Metro Sant Antoni (Tamarit/Ronda Sant Antoni) · Free

Itsafunnyoldworld.worpress.com // Fuspey@gmail.com

This months edition, #20, of BCN MES includes the above event.

Brazil, Transition, Big Cities, Inspiring projects

I met some really amazing Brazilian girls yesterday on the walking tour and found out about the excellent work going on in the slums of Sao paulo and elsewhere…

InterAção (International network of community action)

+ Um Teto para meu País (a roof for my country)

We are a non-profit organization run by university students and young professionals that through the construction of transitional houses, works with families in extreme poverty in a social inclusion process that will allow them to develop as a sustainable community  (Originally started in Chile, now spreading widely in Sao Paulo and Brazil)

I was telling them of a few other amazing projects going on in Sao Paulo, which I found out about last year at the TRANSITION NETWORK CONFERENCE, earlier article previously posted here outlines that: Transition and Big Cities

There is some really inspiring stuff going on around the planet at the present, 2 of us travelled from Barcelona to participate in the recent Transition Conference in Liverpool, or “The Peoples Republic of Scouse” as Pete North put it, a few weeks back and while there we plugged in, connected with other people in transition. I connected as much as possible with people working in cities, who are addressing the challenges, applying the basic ideas of transition to the bigger macro scale.

Links: Transition and Big Cities | Forests invading cities: Latest on Brazil turning the tide #ttcon2011 (MP3 here) | transition brasil ning | Transition Granja Viana | Brasilândia | Transition Brasilândia (blog) | Verdejando Heliópolis | What strategies are working in big cities? (topic on transition network) | Transition in Cities and the #SpanishRevolution | A conversation about Transition in Cities (MP3 audio)